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San Francisco 49ers cornerback Shawntae Spencer will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his left knee. Spencer, a fifth-year pro, will be placed on injured reserve soon after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair the ligament. He injured his knee late in the 49ers’ road victory at Seattle on Sept. 14, and missed last week’s victory over Detroit. Tarell Brown and Donald Strickland will compete to replace Spencer with the 49ers, who kept 12 defensive backs on their 53-man roster to start the season. Brown, a second-year pro, got his first career interception last weekend while filling in for Strickland, who also sat out with a knee injury.

http://49ersnews.com/2008/09/spencer-done/

White House Has a Plan to Tackle 3 Separate Scandals Pat Robertson: 'Males Have a Tendency to Wander' Jodi Arias Victim's Siblings Emotionally Address Jury Lone Survivor of 1987 Plane Crash Breaks Silence President Obama Makes His Case Amid Minefield of Scandals Lions, Tigers and Bears Living Together Alexander's Siblings Emotional Plea to Arias Jury White House Takes Action on 3 Controversies Pat Robertson: Divorce Wife With Alzheimer's Nightline Online: Jesus for Porn Stars Boehner on IRS Scandal: 'Who's Going to Jail'? Jodi Arias Deemed Eligible for Death Penalty Man Allegedly Destroyed Neighbor's Home with Bulldozer Internet Celebrity Arrested in Lawyer's Homicide Boston Explosions Cause Lockdowns, Heightened Security in America

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/egypt-clamps-down-12800878

6:29 p.m. ET: ABC’s David Wright tweeted: 3:41 p.m. ET: Spencer West, a 31-year-old who was born with a genetic disorder called sacral agenesis and eventually had his legs removed, climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro on his hands. 2:28 p.m. ET: Twitter returns! The social website went down around 11:50 a.m. ET, bringing users’ streams to a screeching halt and causing several reporters to suffer from twitching fingers. 12:49 p.m. ET: SANDUSKY TRIAL, ABC’s Jim Avila reports: Jerry Sandusky, his lawyer told a jury today, was “slammed” by accusers who are out for money and investigators who pressured witnesses into making false claims, despite years of helping children without anyone complaining of inappropriate behavior. The jury of seven women and five men will begin deliberating Sandusky’s guilt or innocence this afternoon after the prosecution completes its closing argument. If convicted of 48 counts of sex abuse against 10 boys, the former Penn State football coach, who is 68, could be sentenced to life in prison. 11:56 a.m. ET: Unintentionally, pro-athletes have become the guinea pigs, some would say, in testing cutting-edge and experimental therapies for chronic pain. ABC’s Ron Claiborne reports on a controversial new blood injection treatment virtually unknown in the United States and not approved by the FDA. It’s called Regenokine therapy, and Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and other star athletes have used it to help with chronic pain. 11:05 a.m. ET: It’s official, but it’s a non-event. Tropical Storm Chris was upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane Thursday, becoming first hurricane of the season, the National Hurricane Center announced. However, the storm is far out in the middle of the Atlantic and poses no threat to land, the center said. 9:41 a.m. ET: Blast from the past: American actress Lisa Hartman and American actor Alec Baldwin pose in a publicity portrait for the TV soap opera series ‘Knots Landing,’ in 1985. Baldwin appeared in 40 episodes during two seasons on the show. Baldwin has been back in the news recently because of another outburst, this time with an NY Post photographer.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/extras/2012/06/21/nightline-daily-line-june-21-sandusky-trail-prosecutions-closing-arguments-today/

There’s no doubt of my affections for the Rich Eisen Podcast (REP). I listen to it every week and over the years it’s easily become my favorite NFL related iPod listens. It’s the perfect combination of everything NFL and pop culture so if that’s right up your alley then this is the podcast for you. So it was a very pleasant surprise when I saw that this week’s episode had NFL Network’s Rich Eisen’s sit down with St. Louis Rams head coach and NFL Competition Committee member Jeff Fisher for the REP’s Combine Special. They chat about Coach Fisher’s first year in St. Louis, the NFL scouting combine, and a few other important Rams topics. Rich Eisen: How do you rank your first year in St. Louis? It wasn’t a rebuilding year… It was not good enough from our standpoint. We lost games that we had a chance to win early on and throughout the season. We learned a lot. That’s the thing I think is so good about what happened. Our young team learned a lot and we have to learn not to let those things happen again. It’s a real fun team to coach and to win a game on the road was a weird experience because they hadn’t done it in a while. Our division is an outstanding division. Arizona came to St. Louis undefeated (in week five). We forget about that at the beginning. It was quite a challenge for us and we were proud of the way they played. (I love that Coach Fisher isn’t satisfied. Despite taking a 2-14 team to 7-8-1 in one season he did not mention specific records in the interview. I think most coaches would hung their hat on that sort of improvement. But not Coach Fisher. He just saw that the team is improving and growing towards getting better.) Rich Eisen: “(James) Laurinaitis and Chris Long came to the set after the game. They said that it had been a very long time since they had played a game with a camera hovering over the middle of the field and the whole country watching. In the end, they were enjoying staying on the set so much Deion asked them to leave. But you could see how much joy they were taking in these moments.” It’s hard you know. No team in a five year span in the history of the NFL lost more games than our organization prior to last year. Winning games is what it’s all about. We won a few and then we had one team in particular that took us ten quarters to beat. It’s funny because you go through that tie experience. But then you play them three weeks later and you’re going to guarantee there’s no way that’s going to happen again. … And we were two minutes away from that happening again. (I was at that game and stayed after to see Laurinaitis and Long hang out on the set. They were having a great time and most of all I think they were happy for Rams fans.) Rich Eisen: “That was unbelievable. People maybe for the next decade having trouble dealing with Colin Kaepernick will have your team to blame. Because it was your team that knocked Alex Smith out of the game and ushering in the whole Kaepernick-ness of it all.” Sorry about that. I would think the 49er fans are also Rams fans at heart. (They can specifically thank Rams LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar and maybe DT Michael Brockers. We believe that it was a combination of Dunbar and Brocker’s hits on Alex Smith in week 10 that ultimately started the Colin Kaepernick era in San Francisco. And no sir. There’s no way any 49ers fans would ever admit to being Rams fans at heart.) Rich Eisen: “Where do you stand on the whole subject on (Cam Newton, RG3, Colin Kaepernick type) quarterbacks and where offenses are going?” Well, we’ve got Carolina this year so we’re going to see that offense five times. So we’ve got work to do as everybody else does. And it doesn’t mean to say that another one is not going to pop up someplace. That’s the challenge of the NFC West is the mobility at the quarterback position. The pistol, the read-option whatever you call it. The NFC East has their own new challenge in Philadelphia with the high tempo. The game changes and you’re forced to adjust on both sides of the ball. Defensively we have to adjust. Rich Eisen: “What do you think Bradford needs to do to take a step into that elite class?” How about have his second year in the same offensive system? Because this will be the first time he’ll be able to experience that. Last year our offense was his third offense in three years. We need to surround him with better people. He can make all the throws. He’s an outstanding deep ball thrower. He has more mobility than people think. He can run for first downs and do that kind of stuff. We can do a better job of keeping him upright. We did that as we moved through the season and minimized the hits. We need to get some better people. We are working at that. (Is Brian Schottenheimer’s offense the best fit for Bradford? I don’t know for sure but giving Bradford another year in the same system is a good way to figure it out. More importantly it sounds like the Rams are serious about getting Bradford the weapons he needs to have that break out season. “Better people” is a very broad term but I’m hoping it means solidifying the offensive line. That should be their number one priority.) Rich Eisen: “What about Steven Jackson? Is he one of those people?” Hope so. We are in the middle of that. Steven is out of the country and we are talking to his agent. We’d love for him to have a chance to finish his career with us. (I read this as “We’d love to have Jack back but not at the $7 million dollar 2013 price tag.” Coach Fisher keeps talking about his young team and I’m not convinced that Jack is going to be a part of that youth movement. The Rams have Isaiah Pead, Daryl Richardson and Terrance Ganaway waiting in the wings.) Rich Eisen: “Moving forward what are you hoping to get out of this combine? You saw some kids last year that you drafted that made some immediate impact.” Jenks (Janoris Jenkins), Tru (Trumaine Johnson), Chris Givens and Daryl Richardson… What you get out of this is you’ve got to aggressively attack the interview process. Get as much information as you can, ask as many questions as you can, and then hopefully we’re going to get enough guys participate where you’d be able to look and see some athletic ability. We have a pretty good sense of the strengths of this draft. We have a good sense of what we need. We’re either going to do with these guys out here or we are going to try and do it through free agency. (Strengths of this draft include safeties, linebackers, and on both sides on the line. Which is great news for the Rams since they need some starters as well as depth in those positions. Mike Mayock of NFL Network believes there isn’t really that Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Luke Kuechly-type star player in the first round of the draft. He said the number 20-25 picks in the draft are just as good as the number 5-10 picks. The Rams could be getting some great players with the 16th and 22nd picks in the first round.) (Another quick note: Last year’s draft was orchestrated by General Manager Les Snead and Coach Fisher but they were using information put together by the previous regime’s scouting staff. For this April’s draft Snead will have intelligence gathered by his own people. This can only make things better, right?) Update from @Shields3L – Most of the scouting staff is still the same from last yr. Only 3 guys gone. (Thanks for the info, Tim.) Rich Eisen and Coach Fisher continue their conversation changing their focus to what was being discussed by the competition committee which Coach Fisher is a part of. Especially fun was listening to Rich Eisen campaign to get rid of his pet peeve, the Tuck Rule. You can listen to the interview in its entirety here or on iTunes. Coach Fisher’s segment starts around the 45 minute mark.

http://aeryssports.com/the-pigskin-arch/2013/02/28/st-louis-rams-head-coach-jeff-fisher-on-the-rich-eisen-podcast/

This is one of the few weekends every year that I get up in the middle of the night to watch sports, but have done so annually when Australian Open organizers moved their men’s and women’s finals to the night session. On Saturday morning (TSN, 1:30 a.m.), the world number one Victoria Azarenka of Belarus takes on 2011 French Open champion and world number six Li Na of China. Azarenka, who is also the defending champion, defeated American sensation Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4 in a controversial semi-final while Na beat Maria Sharapova 6-2, 6-2. A couple of notes here. First, it has been amazing the number of times I have heard from ESPN the last two weeks projecting a Serena Williams/Maria Sharapova semi-final. Second, the crowd will probably be supporting Na after Azarenka took a questionably lengthy timeout in her win over Stephens on Thursday. In the men’s final, world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia will take on world number three Andy Murray of Great Britain (Sunday, 1:30 a.m.). Djokovic is no question the fresher of the two. He steamrolled past David Ferrer of Spain 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 on Thursday, while Murray needed four and a half hours to beat Roger Federer in five grueling sets on a fewer day of rest. Djokovic beat Murray in the 2011 Australian Open title 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 and is looking for his third straight Australian Open Championship.

http://anysportanytime.ca/tag/shannon-kleibrink/

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Brandon Triche is Syracuse's top free-throw shooter, and in his mind if the first one he takes in a game feels good he's going to have a good game at the line. On Saturday, with West Virginia and the third-ranked Orange clawing for a victory and the score tied 61-all with 88 seconds left, Triche swished a pair of free throws — his only attempts of the game — and Syracuse held on for a 63-61 victory. "It just happened to be me tonight," said Triche, who led the Orange with 18 points. "We showed heart, mental toughness." After Triche's free throws — he's 38-of-44 on the season — the Mountaineers missed four consecutive shots, including an airball 3 by Darryl "Truck" Bryant and an attempt on the follow by Deniz Kilicli, who caught the ball under the basket. Playing with four fouls, Syracuse center Baye Keita helped deny Kilicli's shot and appeared to get away with goaltending that wasn't called; the ball already had hit the backboard and then also was on its way down. No whistle came from referees Karl Hess, Gene Steratore and Brian O'Connell — much to the dismay of coach Bob Huggins and all Mountaineers. "We did pretty good as a team," said the 6-11 Keita, who matched his season high by playing 25 minutes in the absence of starting center Fab Melo and registered three blocks and four points. "I'm just supposed to try to block those shots. Luckily, I got it and the ref missed it (the goaltending call). I don't know if that's a goaltending or a block." It was goaltending in the mind of Huggins. "Do I think it was? No. I know it was. I saw the replay," Huggins said. "It's hard. You've got 30 seconds and you're trying to get them refocused and they're all thinking about other things." After the no-call on the block/goaltend, Kris Joseph snared the crucial rebound for Syracuse but lost the ball out of bounds with 6.2 seconds left, prompting a tirade from coach Jim Boeheim and giving West Virginia one last shot. Unable to drive the lane as planned, Jabarie Hinds passed to Kevin Jones in the left corner as C.J. Fair stormed at him, and his desperation 3 at the buzzer fell short. "We beat ourselves," Gary Browne said. "We've dug ourselves in a hole where we aren't supposed to be. We feel hurt right now. This loss hurt us a lot." Syracuse won its second straight after losing at Notre Dame and did so despite being hammered 41-20 on the boards, 24-9 in the second half, and missing 16-of-20 3-point attempts. Still, there was a battle for every loose ball under the baskets and the Mountaineers only finished with a 13-8 edge on second-chance points, not much to show for a 19-5 edge on the offensive glass. "This was one of those games where if you don't make shots, it's going to come down to who makes a play at the end," Boeheim said. Syracuse (22-1, 9-1 Big East) has won 13 of the past 14 games against West Virginia (15-7, 5-4). The win was the 878th for Boeheim, moving him within one of tying former North Carolina coach Dean Smith for third in Division I history. Joseph finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, Scoop Jardine had nine points and five assists and Dion Waiters had eight points for the Orange, who played their third game without Melo. The 7-foot center, who leads the Big East in blocks, watched the game from the bench in street clothes, shouting encouragement at his teammates. After starting the first 20 games of the season and becoming a force in the paint, the big Brazilian has not played since logging 29 minutes in a home win over Pitt nearly two weeks ago. Melo is ineligible because of academic issues but has been practicing with the team, and Boeheim is hopeful he'll be able to return to the lineup. Jones led West Virginia with 20 points and eight rebounds. Bryant had 12 points, all in the second half, and Browne scored 11. The Mountaineers were coming off a 78-62 loss at St. John's on Wednesday night, a game in which the Red Storm started five freshmen, but they led most of the first half in this one and never trailed by more than three points in the final 17 minutes. Syracuse led by four to start the second half and made it 33-27 on Triche's steal and layup with 18:57 to go. After that, it was anybody's game. The score was tied seven times, the last when Jones hit a 3 from the left corner to knot it at 61 with 1:41 left. "They do a great job of playing defense," Joseph said. "We found ways around that at the end. We did what we needed to." The Orange were hampered by fouls to their big men. Keita picked up his fourth midway through the half and 6-9 freshman Rakeem Christmas fouled out with 4:58 to go. Syracuse trailed most of the first half as the Mountaineers patiently attacked the 2-3 zone. Jones started the game by hitting consecutive mid-range jumpers from the heart of the Syracuse defense. The Mountaineers led by six three times, the last at 22-16 after a 3-pointer by Jones from the left wing with 7:34 left, but they converted only one other basket in the closing minutes — a runner by Hinds — as Syracuse increased the defensive intensity with a press. The Orange forced shot-clock violations on consecutive possessions in the final 3 minutes and Joseph's baseline drive and layup gave Syracuse a 25-24 lead with 68 seconds left, just the Orange's second lead of the half. Waiters fed Jardine for a wide-open 3 from the right corner with 3.2 seconds left to give Syracuse a 28-24 halftime lead. It was just the second make in 11 tries from behind the arc for the Orange, who have struggled from long range in conference play, shooting 25 percent in the last six games.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2012-01-28/syracuse-beats-west-virginia-on-missed-goaltending-call?modid=recommended_2_4

It happens during coaching changes, one of the aspects of the business. The outgoing coach assembles a recruiting class but the incoming coach has other players in mind. Butch Jones left Cincinnati for Tennessee and when Tommy Tuberville replaced Jones, he wanted to bring recruits with him, especially at quarterback. That left Massillon (Ohio) native Kyle Kempt high and dry. Most quarterbacks are done with recruiting well before National Signing Day and Kempt was no exception — he picked the Bearcats nearly a year ago. This late in the recruiting cycle, there are few scholarships left for quarterbacks at BCS schools. So if the school you're committed to has a coaching change, it can leave a recruit like Kempt with few options. This weekend, Kempt might have found an even better home than Cincinnati. Oregon State was nationally ranked in the 2012 season and in the Pac-12, a better conference than the Big East. Kempt got his last-second offer and committed on the spot. Wanna thank God through all this, I'm keeping the orange and black and committing to Oregon State! Go Beavs!— Kyle Kempt (@KyleKempt) Jan. 27, 2013 Before picking Cincinnati, Kempt had offers from Indiana, Ole Miss, Tennessee, West Virginia, Toledo and Bowling Green — but many of those options dried up months ago after he picked the Bearcats. Kempt broke down his strengths to Sporting News in an interview given last year. "There are a couple common things colleges are impressed with when they break down my film," Kempt told Sporting News. "They like that I have a strong arm, make good decisions with the football, I'm accurate with my throws and I have a good pocket presence … Being a student of the game, studying film constantly, that's a strength. I’m going to hurt defenses through the air with accuracy and smart decision making."

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2013-01-27/national-signing-day-2013-oregon-state-kyle-kempt-qb-texas-tech-rankings?modid=recommended_4_5

The New Orleans Saints are interested in former Kansas City Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel as a candidate for their defensive coordinator opening, according to various media reports. Payton fired Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator Thursday and announced he would change his defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme. That move would provide a good fit for Crennel, who has run successful 3-4 schemes in past coordinator jobs with the New England Patriots and Chiefs. Crennel, 65, was defensive coordinator of the Patriots for all three of their Super Bowl victories during his four years with the team. ESPN reported that the Saints also have interest in former New York Jets and Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini for the coordinator job. ProFootballTalk.com reported that Crennel is the preferred choice.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-01-26/saints-defensive-coordinator-search-romeo-crennel-payton-mangini

DENVER— The Denver Broncos have parted ways with versatile but vexing linebacker D.J. Williams. The Broncos released the nine-year veteran Monday on the eve of free agency, freeing up his $6 million salary in 2013 for other needs. "We appreciate the contributions made by D.J. Williams during his time with the Broncos," John Elway, vice president of football operations, said in a statement. "He was a solid player with this team for a number of years, showing a lot of versatility at linebacker. Our organization wishes D.J. all the best going forward." The Broncos also have asked Pro Bowl defensive end Elvis Dumervil to take a pay cut. If not, he'll be traded or released before Saturday when his $12 million salary for 2013 becomes guaranteed. Dumervil is also due $10 million in 2014 and $8 million in 2015. Williams missed nine games while serving a pair of NFL-mandated suspensions last season and was deemed expendable after Wesley Woodyard had a breakout season at weakside linebacker in Jack Del Rio's defense. The Broncos also released third quarterback Caleb Hanie, a former Colorado State star who didn't take a single snap in his one season in Denver following four years as the backup in Chicago. The Broncos were busy on many fronts Monday, finalizing a three-year deal to keep backup safety David Bruton, their top special teams player, and working to keep defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson in navy and orange before the start of free agency Tuesday. Williams' departure is notable because he and cornerback Champ Bailey were the longest-tenured Broncos, their careers in Denver dating back to Mike Shanahan's time as coach. Williams was a first-round draft pick (17th overall) out of the University of Miami in 2004 and played four different linebacker positions during his nine seasons in Denver, where he led the team in tackles five times. "It's the nature of the business," Bruton said about Williams' release. "Guys change, things change. D.J. is still a young player. He was a great teammate. He'll definitely make it somewhere and he'll continue to make plays because whenever he stepped on the field here, he made plays. Best of luck to him. He's been a great player and a good teammate. Just, his time was up here." Williams is one of only five NFL players during the last nine seasons to post at least 800 tackles and 20 sacks, and he displayed his versatility by starting at the weakside, middle, strongside and inside positions for a revolving door of defensive coordinators and schemes in Denver. He turns 31 this summer and is sure to draw interest on the open market but he is coming off a season in which he collected just 14 tackles in seven games and only made one start because of his two suspensions that cost him about $4 million in salary and relegated him to playing on special teams and in sub packages upon his return in November. Williams was suspended six games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs and three games for an alcohol-related arrest in 2010 that led to a conviction last August. He was originally charged with driving under the influence, but a jury convicted him of the lesser charge of driving while impaired. He was also convicted of driving without headlights, the offense that prompted police to stop him near downtown Denver in the early morning hours on Nov. 12, 2010, before taking him to a detox facility. The Broncos stripped Williams of his captaincy shortly after his arrest — the second time he'd been detained for suspicion of drunken driving. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to impaired driving. A judge last fall sentenced him to 30 days of house arrest and two years' probation. Williams also made news last summer by tweeting a picture of his new digital playbook and saying his coaches were asking him to switch positions yet again. If Dumervil follows Williams out the door, the Broncos will have some big shoes to fill on a defense that was one of the NFL's stingiest last season. "It's always important to keep a defense together," Bruton said. "This is the first time having the same defensive coordinator in my career here. So I feel like that's a great step in the right direction. But teams change, players change. We just don't want to change that mentality no matter who we bring in. "As far as me worrying, I don't have to worry as much anymore. You still worry who they bring in, because the NFL is a revolving door. Guys come in, guys come out. It's just the nature of the business."

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-03-11/dj-williams-released-by-denver-broncos

A staff member carries the golf bag of Barack Obama at a landing zone in Chicago before the President left for Los Cabos, Mexico to attend G20 summit. (AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad ) Barack Obama played like a U.S. Open champion Sunday -- at least on one shot. Beverly Country Club's head professional, John Varner, said the president hit a shot into the 12th hole from 135 yards out that settled six feet below the cup. He provided highlights for others between the front and back nines. “He was cordial with everyone,” Varner said. “We got some nice pictures and he was very accommodating.” Obama played with two members at Beverly, the South Side club where Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus won Western Opens. A dozen Secret Service personnel followed the group in carts, but members were asked to give him space. Any idea what he shot? “I want to say a 72,” Varner joked. “No idea. They kept that to themselves.”

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-06-17/sports/chi-obamas-shot-on-12th-hole-at-beverly-cc-impressive-20120617_1_barack-obama-shot-hole

Louisville's Chane Behanan dunks between Michigan State's… (REUTERS/Darryl Webb ) PHOENIX -- Gorgui Dieng's seven blocks and three steals highlighted a suffocating Cardinals defense, and the NCAA Tournament's first No. 1 seed fell as Louisville knocked out Michigan State, 57-44, in the Sweet 16 action in the West Region on Thursday. "We knew we were going to come to a war," Dieng said. "We needed to be tougher than them to win this game." Chane Behanan netted a game-high 15 points while grabbing nine rebounds and Russ Smith donated 11 points for the Cardinals (29-9), who moved on to face either Florida or Marquette with a spot in the Final Four on the line. Draymond Green finished his collegiate career with a 13-point, 16-rebound effort, but it was not enough for the Spartans (29-8). Brandon Wood added 14 points in defeat. Louisville held the top-seeded Spartans to 28.6 percent field goal shooting, including 23.8 percent from three-point range. "They played their solid defense. And we thought we was pretty well prepared for it. It's not our coach's fault," said Green. "I think they gave us a great game plan. At the end of the day, players play, and we didn't, we just didn't execute well." Both teams shot poorly in the first half, but Louisville made up for its 1- of-15 two-point field goal mark with seven three-pointers, and took a 23-18 edge into intermission. After MSU's Keith Appling opened the second with a trey, Louisville ripped off a 12-4 run. Behnan knocked down two jumpers and Peyton Siva made a dunk during the spurt. Adreian Payne and Green dunked on consecutive possessions as the Spartans got back to within four, 35-31 with a 6-0 run. But the Cardinals responded by scoring 11 of the next 13 points for their largest lead of the game to that point at 46-33. Wood's triple with 3:01 to play cut Michigan State's deficit to single digits. Louisville rolled off an 8-0 run a bit later, though, to secure the victory and its first Elite Eight berth since back-to-back runs in the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. Game notes: Louisville shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the field in the second half after posting a 26.7 percent (8-of-30) mark in the first...Dieng played all 40 minutes...Michigan State committed 15 turnovers, including six by Green...Chris Smith finished with nine points for the Cardinals, and Siva had nine assists.

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-03-22/sports/chi-louisville-knocks-out-no-1-michigan-state-5744-20120322_1_gorgui-dieng-peyton-siva-louisville

SOUTH BEND -- Is there such a thing as too much Darius? The durable sophomore running back on Saturday became the first Notre Dame football player since Phil Carter in 1980 to rush for 100 yards or more in each of the first three games of a season. Darius Walker had a career-high 116 yards on 26 carries in his most recent outing, a 44-41 overtime loss to Michigan State Saturday. He also had five catches for 24 yards and a TD in that game. "I think Darius could run the ball in a game 40 times if you wanted him to, but you have to worry about the whole season," said ND head coach Charlie Weis, whose 16th-ranked Irish (2-1) visit Washington (1-2) Saturday. "I wouldn't be very smart if I gave him the ball too many times in any game, because I want the kid to last the whole season. "I've seen too many good running backs get worn out early in the year and have no gas in their tank at the end of the year. You have to play each week to win that game and try to maximize what you think his efficiency would be at that time. Twenty-five to 30 touches are good numbers for him." But it's not just about the rushing numbers anymore. Walker has 13 receptions, tied for second on the team and three more than he had all of last season. And his blocking prowess has taken a similar leap.

http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2005-09-21/news/27007356_1_darius-walker-ball-numbers

Rookie Steve David has been exciting powerboat fans since June 5, when he drove Pocket Savers Plus to fourth place in the Budweiser Unlimited Hydroplane Regatta at Miami Marine Stadium. Three months and six races later, David is no less impressive, though he has no victories. From Miami to Madison, Ind., and from Syracuse to Seattle, he has shown he intends to be among the sport`s superstars someday. He says he is pacing himself, and his ultimate goal is to vie for Driver of the Year. David`s first-year goals are less lofty. He wants to qualify, compete in the finals and finish in the money in every race. He has been successful five of seven times. Stardom, as he obtained during 10 years of racing smaller limited hydroplanes, can wait. The two times David failed to reach the finals were not his fault. He was clipped from behind in one race, and Pocket Savers Plus blew a piston in another. ``Steve has an upbeat personality. He also has the talent it takes to do well,`` said Don Jones, American Power Boat Association hydroplane vice president and commissioner of the Seattle-based Unlimited Racing Commission. Jones said if the vote were today, David would be a cinch to win Rookie of the Year. And David, 34, a real estate agent from Pompano Beach, would love nothing more. Rookie of the Year status won`t be official until David competes in the final two unlimited races at San Diego and Las Vegas. But he already has a comfortable lead over the sport`s other two rookies: Larry Lauterbach of Portsmouth, Va., and Wheeler Baker of Chester, Md. Through the Budweiser Cup in Seattle, David was in sixth out of 19 places in the American Hydroplane Series URC standings with 3,330 points. David leads Lauterbach by 684 points. Baker has yet to score a point. In the last two races, David will have to race aboard a different boat than the one he has used all season. The original Pocket Savers Plus sustained damage to 70 percent of its hull when the warehouse it was stored in at Owensboro, Ky., caught fire three weeks ago. ``The funny thing about it is that we`re leasing another boat to finish out the season and it`s faster than the one we`ve been using, so we should do even better,`` David said. The newer boat, leased by the Fred Leland racing team from Seattle, has two Rolls Royce engines. David`s top finishes were fourth overall in Miami and fourth at the APBA Gold Cup in Evansville, Ind., June 26. In Miami, David reached the finals by default when favorites and top qualifiers Jim Kropfeld in Miss Budweiser and Scott Pierce in Mr. Pringles withdrew because of an accident. Pierce has since resumed racing. Kropfeld sustained neck and back injuries serious enough to keep him sidelined until next summer. David paid his dues to get to the unlimited circuit. He started racing 1- and 7-liter limited hydroplanes at 24. ``I don`t consider limited racing the minor leagues,`` David said. ``Limiteds are just a different class of boat. You need a lot of the same skills. In a lot of places they get just as much respect as the unlimiteds.`` David`s record in limited races enticed owners Jim McCormick and Bob Fendler to choose him as driver for Pocket Savers Plus. David still races limited boats. On July 10, he won the 1-Liter Stock Hydroplane World Championships. Last August he placed second in the APBA 7- Liter National Championships in Miami. ``Of course moving up to the unlimited circuit is something every driver dreams about, but I still get a kick out of driving the smaller boats,`` David said. ``There`s only a few unlimited drivers out there, so I`m happy to be among them.`` Pocket Savers Plus is seventh of 18 unlimiteds. Miss Budweiser (6,721), which Tom D`Eath drove to victory during the last three series races, is top boat, followed by Mr. Pringles (6,169). David will race this weekend in San Diego at the Miller High Life Thunderboat Regatta. The final race is the Las Vegas Silver Cup Sept. 22-24. ``We`re doing better than we expected,`` David said. ``It`s been a fun summer.`` -- The Marine Fisheries Commission will hold two workshops in South Florida this week to receive public testimony on a proposal to set the maximum number of tarpon tags to be issued for 1989 at 10,000, with 5,000 reserved for licensed professional guides. The initial workshop will be from 7-9 p.m. Thursday at Sarasota City Hall, 1565 First St. The second will be from 7-9 p.m. Friday in the Islamorada Quarter Deck Room, Holiday Isle Resort on Mile Marker 84. Meetings are open.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1988-09-14/sports/8802220962_1_hydroplane-larry-lauterbach-miami-marine-stadium

That’s one reason the rules committee is reasserting guidelines on what constitutes a charge and asking for referees to be re-educated on how the play should be called. It will be one of the most important points covered this fall at the NCAA’s four regional refereeing seminars; all college basketball referees must attend one session to be eligible to work the NCAA Tournament. And this shit blows my mind... In other news, The Sporting News website has gone to shit. All of those mid story links and headlines are fucking ridiculous. Edited by RedEyedGhost, 24 May 2012 - 12:19 AM.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/63583-ncaa-basketball-offseason/page__st__220__p__3331878

McLouth makes impact with homer, leaping grab Running into wall, O's left fielder starts key double play to end Yanks' threat NEW YORK -- Hot for more than a month, Nate McLouth saw red for an entire inning Thursday night. Leading off the fifth, the Orioles left fielder drilled a fastball out to right at Yankee Stadium. Then, in the bottom of the inning, he made a leaping catch at the wall as he crashed into an electronic red sign he said was blindingly bright. That saved a run and started an inning-ending double play. "I mean, it almost blinded me," McLouth said of the State Farm sign. Before the O's took Game 4 of the American League Division Series, 2-1, over the Yankees in 13 innings, McLouth's homer was Baltimore's only run for 12 innings. The O's leadoff man has been their best hitter this series, and he homered on a 1-2 pitch from Yanks starter Phil Hughes that got too much of the plate. That put Baltimore up, 1-0, and came after McLouth had walked and doubled in his first two plate appearances. "It was obviously a mistake," said McLouth, who's hitting .333 (6-for-18) with two runs scored and three RBIs in the series. "I think [Hughes] was trying to come in and didn't get it there. But you know, to get us on the board there, to get a lead there, it was the fifth inning, it was nice. I put a pretty good swing on it." McLouth has hits in all four games of the series, coming off his hottest month of the season, September, when he posted a .298/.372/.491 line. At an opportune time like this, he said he's feeling as good as he has all year. "I really do," McLouth said. "It's funny, when you feel good, and you get good pitches, you don't miss 'em. When you're struggling, you'll foul those pitches back. I just, yeah, I've been able to slow things down at the plate, and I think that's kind of what any hitter will tell you when they're feeling pretty good. They're able to stay under control." The catch in the bottom of the inning was remarkable in itself. The 7-6-3 double play he started with a relay to J.J. Hardy made it that much sweeter. The Yankees had a runner on first base with one out, and Jayson Nix, starting at shortstop in place of Derek Jeter, hit a deep drive to left. McLouth raced back to the left-field wall, leapt and came up with it as his left side hit against the sign. His jump was well-timed, so he didn't hit the wall with overwhelming force. "That's that deep part out there," McLouth said. "I went back, I knew it was going to be close to the wall. And I took my eye off the ball for a second and it was kind of weird, because when I took my off the ball, I looked right into -- there's like a bright red State Farm [sign] out there -- and I mean it almost blinded me. Because I wanted to check where the wall was, but I just happened to look right at that bright sign, and it kind of threw me off for a second. But I was able to pick up the ball again when I looked back." Essentially, McLouth preserved the shutdown inning, and all the momentum he himself had created with the home run. From his vantage point, catcher Matt Wieters wasn't sure McLouth had a chance at the ball, but he wasn't surprised by the play. To Wieters, the O's have two center fielders: one playing that position, Adam Jones, and the other playing left, McLouth. "I didn't know he had it, but I knew if he had a chance, Nate was going to come down with the ball," Wieters said. "He ran a long way for that ball, and was able to get it and make a good throw to J.J. to get a double play. That was a huge out in the game, and something that gave us a little bit of relief, to get back in the dugout with the lead."

http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121011&content_id=39730740&vkey=news_bal&c_id=bal

Drew Weisholtz is an award-winning writer who has had his work published on several websites, including GuySpeed, StarCrush.com and theFW.com. Previously, he has written and served as a producer for ABC News Radio and also spent time as a stand-up comedian. He can be found rooting for his beloved Yankees and Giants and begrudgingly holds out hope his Rutgers Scarlet Knights will one day return to the NCAA Tournament. When that's not consuming him, he passes time quoting "Saved By the Bell" and making fun of his in-laws. You can follow him on Twitter.

http://b1027.com/author/drewweisholtz/page/6/

HOWLAND, Maine — Foxcroft Academy crowned eight individual champions to pull away to victory Saturday at the Eastern Maine Class C wrestling championships held at Penobscot Valley High School. The defending state champion Ponies totaled 249.5 points to best runner-up Dexter (195). Fort Kent was third with 85.5 points, with Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln (69) and Piscataquis of Guilford (60) rounding out the top five. Foxcroft qualified wrestlers in all 14 weight classes for next Saturday’s state championship meet to be held at Fryeburg Academy, while Dexter advanced 13 qualifiers. Foxcroft — which edged Dexter by a single point to win last week’s Penobscot Valley Conference meet — led Dexter by 23 points entering the championship finals, with the Ponies still having 11 wrestlers alive while the Tigers had 10. “It felt like a dual meet out there with all the Foxcroft wrestlers on one side and all the Dexter wrestlers on the other side,” said Foxcroft coach Luis Ayala, who teaches at Dexter. “Dexter and Foxcroft have always had a great rivalry, and you could really feel it out there. Every match was hard fought, and the crowd was going wild.” Dexter immediately narrowed the gap with championship-match victories by Dylan Hanscom at 106 pounds, Tyler Salsbury at 113 and Aaron Webber at 126 — with two of those victories coming against opponents from Foxcroft. Six other head-to-head matchups remained, and Foxcroft won all of them. Trevor Weymouth (132), Forrest Law (138), Wesley Stinson (145), Corey Bjornson (182), Corbyn Bruce (195) and Alex Sedore (285) all won their individual regional titles by defeating Dexter rivals in the finals. Todd Francis (152) and Zac Smith (170) also won championships for the Ponies. Foxcroft got second-place efforts from Brooks Law (113), Isaac Whittemore (126) and Damien Small (220), thirds from Eli Olson (106) and Mark Smith (120) and a fourth from Dylan Bruce at 160. Dexter crowned four champions in Hanscom, Salsbury, Webber and Jon Gudroe (160). Runners-up for the Tigers were Seth Blais (132), Andrew Adams (138), Andrew Levensalor (145), Anthony McLaughlin (182), Josh Haskell (195) and Kyle Lockhart (285), while Vincent Malinauskas (152) and Carl Snow (170) each placed third and Devan Gudroe (120) finished fourth. Other Eastern Maine champions were Sam Thomas of Piscataquis of Guilford and Zac Ragot of Washington Academy of East Machias. Thomas avenged a loss to WA’s Chris Weiss in their PVC final with a 6-5 victory in the 120-pound final, while Ragot won the 220-pound crown. Fort Kent was led by second-place finishes from Joshua Pelletier (152) and Brandon Hartt (170). Dirigo captures ‘C’ West At Bucksport, Dirigo of Dixfield qualified 13 of its 14 wrestlers for the state meet, including four first-place finishers, to win the Western C regional for the first time in four years. Dirigo scored 194.5 points to best host Bucksport, which amassed 157.5 points in its debut season as a Western Maine program. Another new Western C team, Winslow, finished third with 122 points, while Madison (100) and Mount View of Thorndike (82) rounded out the top five. Caleb Hall (132), Brett Whittemore (138), Jesse Hutchinson (145) and Gavin Sanders (182) all won individual titles for Dirigo, which also had four second-place finishers, two thirds and three fourths on the day. Bucksport, coming off a third-place finish at last weekend’s PVC championships, had the most individual champions with six. Freshman Matthew Stewart was the 106-pound champion, while Jacob Stewart (152), Jordan Fogg (160), Nic Bishop (170), Chris Powell (195) and Damon Klinedinst (285) also won their weight classes for coach Larry Clement’s Golden Bucks. Five of the six Bucksport champions were top-seeded in their weight classes, while Bishop was a third seed in his return from a recent knee injury that had sidelined him for last week’s PVC meet. Senior Alex Brown, seeded second at 120 pounds, finished second in that weight class to give Bucksport a seventh qualifier for the state meet. Mt. Blue prevails in EM ‘A’ At Westbrook, Mt. Blue won its second straight Eastern A championship, avenging a loss to Cony of Augusta in last week’s KVAC Class A meet to defeat the second-place Rams 168.5 to 138. Skowhegan was third with 135.5 points, with Westbrook (96), Windham (92) and Brewer (87) rounding out the top six teams. Brewer’s effort featured a victory in the 285-pound class by Marcus Eaton. Eaton, second in his weight class at last year’s state championship meet, won his second straight Eastern A title by pinning Cony’s Steven Morse at 1:39 of the final. The Witches also got second-place finishes from Mark Smith (120 pounds), Anthony Sprigg (132) and Victor Irwin (195) and a fourth from Robbie Kiah at 145.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/02/12/sports/wrestling/foxcroft-uses-depth-to-win-eastern-c-dirigo-prevails-in-western-c/?ref=relatedBox

In the AFL the Peoria Javelinas lost to the Surprise Rafters 9-6: Box Score - Recap - Game Story Phil Hughes started for the Javelinas and continued his inconsistent winter. After having a great outing his last time out he followed it with a very unimpressive 2.1 innings today. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, walked 4 and struck out 3. He threw 72 pitches, 40 for strikes. Kevin Whelan pitched 1.2 innings in relief. He didn't allow a run, he walked 2 and struck out 2. He threw 32 pitches, 15 for strikes. Humberto Sanchez pitched one third of an inning and gave up 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. He threw 23 pitches, 11 for strikes. Kevin Russo went 1-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Austin Jackson went 3-for-4, with a double and three runs scored. He was also hit by a pitch. In HWB the Waikiki BeachBoys lost to the Honolulu Sharks 4-1: Box Score - Recap Austin Romine went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Damon Sublett went 0-for-3 with a walk. Other Yankees are playing in the Venezuelan, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Dominican winter leagues. Here's a run down of the players in each league: Venezuelan League: Francisco Cervelli is playing for Cardenales de Lara. Reegie Corona is on Navegantes del Magallanes. Puerto Rican League: Ian Kennedy and Jonathan Albaladejo are on Indios de Mayaguez. Jose Molina is on Leones de Ponce. Dominican League: Matt Carson and Wilkins Arias are playing for Aguilas Cibaenas. And Jhonny Nunez and Amaury Sanit are playing for Tigres del Licey. Mexican League: Justin Christian is playing for Caneros de los Mochis. And Walter Ibarra is on Naranjeros de Hermosillo. You can check out all of their Winter Ball stats here. Last week the Yankees cut these players from their minor league rosters: RHP: Oneli Perez (AAA), Scott Strickland (AAA), Jose Valdez (AA), Victor Zambrano (AAA) LHP: Eric Milton (AAA), Edgar Soto (Hi A) C: Ben Blumenthal (Lo A), Jason Brown (AAA), Chris Stewart (AAA) 1B: Ben Broussard (AAA), Josh Kreuzer (Hi A) 2B: Bernie Castro (AAA), Nick Green (AAA) 3B: Carlos Mendoza (AA) SS: Chris Basak (AAA) OF: Matt Carson (AAA), Edwar Gonzalez (AA), , C.J. Henry (Hi A) The first full week of baseball's off-season is in the books and to say the Hot Stove is in full swing would be an understatement. Players that have filed for free agency have until Thursday at midnight eastern to resign with their current organization, so at 12:01am on Friday, an already busy rumor mill should kick into overdrive. Jim Hendry spent his week on the West Coast in discussion with the Padres over Jake Peavy as well as gauging what dollar figure it will take to resign both Ryan Dempster and Kerry Wood....but was that all? Here is the rest on Jake Peavy along with other rumors, plus....a possible, realistic number for the Cubs' payroll in 2009, Wood doubled his 2008 base salary, Nate McLouth, Jeremy Hermida and Scott Olsen and is Derrek Lee staying put? Manager of the Year Rookie of the Year <GreekHouse>The Wolves kinda sucked last night, losing in a blowout to the Kings. However, I'm not quite as down about it as a lot of the other Wolves fans. Yeah, the Wolves defense wasn't great and there were quite a few easy baskets, but there were also tons of difficult jumpers that kept [...] Read The Full Article: If I keep hearing rumors like this, I am going to have no choice but to come out of retirement. There are three main reasons that I'm against signing Casey Blake as a free agent.1) Blake is barely better than a platoon of Harris and Buscher would be, and might be worse.2) The Twins [...] Read The Full Article: From Steve Lombardi who received the print edition of the Nov 17th-30th issue of Baseball America today: 1. Austin Jackson OF 2. Jesus Montero, C 3. Andrew Brackman, RHP 4. Austin Romine, C 5. Dellin Betances, RHP 6. Zach McAllister, RHP 7. Alfredo Aceves, RHP 8. Phil Coke, LHP 9. Mark Melancon, RHP 10. Bradley Suttle, 3B You could make arguments that some people should have cracked the list, but all in all I don't have a problem with the list as it is. Do you? Today Paul O'Neill, David Cone, Scott Brosius, Jeff Nelson, Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, and nearly 60 local high school kids helped move home plate, the pitchers mound, along with some dirt, from the old Yankee Stadium to the new stadium. Here's more from MLB.com: Paul O'Neill strode down a flight of concourse stairs at the new Yankee Stadium on Saturday, set his feet on the warning track -- a rough, dirt expanse, still studded with rocks and a few small puddles -- and took an exhaustive look around. "Look at this joint, huh?" he said. Out before him lay a baseball field, albeit an incomplete one, properly proportioned to match the dimensions of the old Yankee Stadium. Sod, with seams still showing, filled much of the area, and a large blue sign shouted the words "YANKEE STADIUM" from above center field. Waves of dark blue seats down the left-field line dumped into a still-unfinished section behind home plate, where metal supports hinted at where more seats are still to come. And on the mound, roughly 60 area children helped cram some dirt from the old Yankee Stadium into the new one. "You know that the Yankees are going to do everything in a first-class manner, and this is a pretty impressive place," said former third baseman Scott Brosius. "It's kind of cool to see it now, and it will be really cool to see it when it's all completed and ready to go." That, of course, coming from a man who had already soaked in some of the best of what the old Yankee Stadium had to offer. So imagine how the children of local youth groups in the Bronx felt when the Yankees invited them to a symbolic ceremony on Saturday to transfer home plate, the pitching rubber and buckets of dirt from the old Yankee Stadium to the new one. Brosius, O'Neill, David Cone and Jeff Nelson joined members of Youth Force 2020 and the ACE Mentor Program in the ceremony, using shovels to dig up dirt and then set it back down across the street -- all in the midst of a driving rain. "It means a lot," Cone said. "It's a great symbolic gesture to be able to take the actual home plate and pitcher's rubber from the old Yankee Stadium and bring it over here. It was a great gesture, and to actually get kids in the Bronx involved with it, I thought was a really good thing to do." Cone, like Brosius, spent a fair amount of time gazing up at the new stadium, which at once looks quite similar to and strikingly different from the old one. Set to open when the new baseball season begins in April, the structure has been rising up in the shadow of its predecessor for more than two years. "There's a little twinge of jealousy, that's for sure, when you see this facility and how beautiful it's going to be," Cone said. "But then again, I was at the right place at the right time." "This new Yankee Stadium has got a lot to live up to," Cone said, lounging in a concrete lean-to that will soon become the home dugout. "There are so many great memories, so many championships across the street, that anything you can bring over here -- any sort of memories you can bring with you -- it's a good thing to do to get this place off to the right start."And here are some pictures of the ceremony from MLB.com: Torre said he had been invited by the Yankees to a Saturday event at which Bronx high schoolers and a few members of the '98 team will transfer dirt from the home plate area at the old Yankee Stadium to the new Yankee Stadium. He's not going to make it due to a scheduling conflict with a brunch for his foundation, but it seemed like an olive branch of sorts.Nice of the Yanks to at least invite Torre to help with the ceremony, and like O'Brien says, it does seem like an olive branch. It's a shame he couldn't make it. The third position presented in this year's Probabilistic Model of Range study belongs to centerfielders. First, the overall team numbers: Team Centerfielders PMR, 2008, Visit Smooth Distance Model, 2008 data only Team In Play Actual Outs Predicted Outs DER Predicted... Read The Full Article: From Ed Price: Derek Jeter Friday revealed he had spoken to Sabathia -- the Yankees' top target in free agency -- in recent weeks about playing in pinstripes. Many believe Sabathia prefers to stay in the National League, where he helped pitch the Milwaukee Brewers into the playoffs after being traded from the Cleveland Indians. But the fact that Sabathia picked Jeter's brain should give the Yankees hope of landing the ace lefty. "He's asked questions, yeah, about it," said Jeter, who got to know Sabathia as an opponent and All-Star Game teammate. "I'll leave it at that. "I'm not trying to sell anyone on New York. I don't think you have to sell people on playing in this organization. People have questions, but it's not like I have a sales pitch."Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com told SNY.tv today that Sabathia will likely been signed quickly, and could be the first big name to be signed. Sabathia apparently doesn't want this process to be dragged out.

http://baseball.blogdig.net/archives/date/08/November/2008

Miami Marlins Wiretap Plans for a new ballpark for the Marlins are still on but have been pushed back another year. According to Marlins president David Samson, the team's new home will open in 2012, rather than 2011 as hoped. The delay is a result of a lawsuit brought on by South Florida auto dealer Norman Braman, who unsuccessfully challenged the public funding portion of the project. The Cubs have acquired Marlins reliever Kevin Gregg, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Thursday. The Marlins received right-hander Jose Ceda in return, according to sources. The Marlins on Monday agreed to trade lefthander Scott Olsen and left fielder Josh Willingham to the Nationals, according to a report by ESPN. Florida will gain the services of second baseman Emilio Bonifacio, pitcher P.J. Dean, and shortstop Jake Smolinski in the deal. Left-handed pitcher Dan Meyer was claimed off waivers Monday by the Marlins after going 0-4 with an ERA of 7.48 in 11 games this year with the A's, according to an Associated Press report. Relief pitcher Justin Miller has reached agreement on a Minor League contract with the Giants. Miller spent the last two years in the bullpen of the Marlins. According to an industry source, Miller will be a non-roster Spring Training invitee with the Giants. Marlins Nov 2008 Archive

http://baseball.realgm.com/src_wiretap_teams/miami/2008/11/

When games slow and defenses tighten, grabbing offensive rebounds and making putbacks would seem to be a logical way to score, anyway. The data--albeit, extremely limited data--supports that theory. Based on Synergy's information about scoring immediately after offensive rebounds, there was no statistically significant correlation between percentage of misses converted into putbacks and Offensive Rating last regular season. There was, however, a positive, statistically significant correlation between percentage of misses converted into putbacks and Offensive Rating* in the playoffs. *Because the quality of the defenses a team faces in the playoffs varies so much, I adjusted Offensive Rating. I determined a team's expected Offensive Rating by averaging its regular-season Offensive Rating with its opponents' regular-season Defensive Rating (weighted by number of games against each opponent). I subtracted the expected Offensive Rating from a team's actual playoff Offensive Rating. That said, here's a huge caveat--those putback numbers are still from the regular season, because Synergy doesn't provide full data for the playoffs. Do teams that put back a large portion of their misses in the regular season continue to do so in the playoffs, and vice versa? I don't know. It's important to note the importance of using putback data rather than relying on offensive-rebounding numbers to draw a similar conclusion. When a team grabs an offensive rebound and doesn't immediately shoot again, it faces a similar defensive challenge as it did for its first shot. Like I wrote above, logically, putbacks would increase in value when scoring in other ways becomes more difficult. As an expanded focus in advanced stats makes more numbers available in the mainstream, we'll learn whether the results match the logic. For now, consider this nothing more than a working theory. If accurate, let's look at what the theory indicates about this year's playoffs. Teams in the upper two quadrants have above-average Offensive Ratings, and teams in the lower two quadrants have below-average Offensive Ratings. Teams in the right two quadrants convert an above average number of their misses into putbacks (indicating increased offensive success in the playoffs), and teams in the left two quadrants convert a below average number of their misses into putbacks (indicating decreased offensive success in the playoffs). I included teams that most likely will not make the playoffs, so you can see which teams' offenses might fit best in the playoffs if they improve overall in coming seasons (and keep the same style).

http://basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1563

Washington U. Baseball Picks Up 20th Win of the Season, 25-13, Over St. Norbert St. Louis, Mo., April 1, 2012 – The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team recorded 24 hits, including 10 for extra bases, as the Bears earned their 20th win of the season with a 25-13 victory over St. Norbert College on Sunday afternoon at Kelly Field. The teams combined for 41 hits and 15 errors in the game that lasted more than three hours. Washington U. took a 10-1 lead after three innings with seven unearned runs on 10 hits and five errors by St. Norbert. The Green Knights plated three runs in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 10-4, but Washington U. answered with five runs on three hits and three errors in the bottom of the inning to extend the lead back to 15-4. After St. Norbert made it 15-6 in the top of the fifth, Washington U. plated five runs on six hits in the bottom of the inning to score 20 runs (20-6) for the second time this season. The Green Knights scored the next seven runs of the game to get to within 20-13, but Washington U. added two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to finish with the 25-13 win. Twelve different players recorded hits in the game for the Bears, led by sophomore Kyle Billig (4-for-5, five runs, two RBIs) and senior Brandon Rogalski (3-for-5, two runs, four RBIs). Both Billig and Rogalski hit two doubles in the game. Freshman Chris Lowery also had three hits (3-for-7, two runs). Junior David Madson hit a pair of RBI triples in the game to finish 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs. Junior Max Gordon picked up his fourth win of the season (4-1) pitching five innings and allowing six runs, just two earned. Washington U. (20-6) continues its 12-game homestand on Wednesday, April 4, against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Kelly Field. Bear Notebook: The win was the eighth in a row for Washington U. … Rogalski has now recorded 17 multiple-hit games this season … Lowery extended his team-leading hitting streak to 10 games … Rogalski’s two runs scored in the game moved him into a tie for 10th on the Washington U. all-time career list (114) … He also moved into fourth for RBIs (128) and a tie for fourth in doubles (41).

http://bearsports.wustl.edu/Sports/Content/Pages/base4-1-12.aspx

The Chicago Stadium Chair -- A Great Conversation Piece Sunday, 04.06.2008 / 12:06 AM / Features By Evan Weiner - NHL.com Correspondent |Former Blackhawk Darcy Rota has a Chicago Stadium seat in his home and it's a conversation starter for guests.| Both Mets and Yankees officials would do well if they were to steal a 1994 idea from Chicago Blackhawks ownership before Chicago Stadium was closed down to make way for a new arena. Owner Bill Wirtz, gave away seats from “The Madhouse on Madison” to one-time Blackhawks players. Darcy Rota, who was a member of the Blackhawks from 1973 to 1979, has a seat in his home, and the seat is a conversation starter for guests. Chicago Stadium hosted Blackhawks games from 1929 to 1994, as well the NBA's Chicago Bulls from 1967 through 1994, five United States political conventions and even an NFL playoff game in 1932 -- played on an 80-yard field. There was also a massive pipe organ built into the structure. "I am sure they sent most of the players who played for the Blackhawks the chair,” Rota said. “For me, it's been something that is a great talk piece when people come to the house. It's got my name and my number when I played for the Blackhawks and the Blackhawks logo. But it is an old rickety chair and people get quite a kick out of it. The young kids and my young kids don't know about the Chicago Stadium." Chicago Stadium had a colorful history and was unique. Players had to walk up and down a flight of steps to get to the ice surface, which was smaller than the standard 200-feet by 85-feet setup in the NHL. Therefore, there was less room between the blue lines. Plus, the place was maybe the loudest building in the NHL. |Real or imagined? The stories are great The long and storied career of Gordie Howe also is a career full of stories that may or may not be true, as Evan Weiner explains in Off the Wall. ...more But climbing up and down the steps was the biggest obstacle players had, and it was not an easy hike. "You wanted to make sure you didn't slip because you were walking down steps with skates on,” he said. “You had to be careful about that. The odd guy would tumble and fall down the stairs. Basically, you had to watch your steps as you went down." If one guy fell, it could have had a domino affect and a whole team of players could have fallen down at the same time. But during Rota's tenure, that never happened. The console of the Chicago Stadium 3,663-pipe Barton Organ, which was played for years by Al Melgard, now resides in the Las Vegas home of Phil Maloof whose brothers own the NBA's Sacramento Kings. That organ was as much a part of Blackhawks history as Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita. It was a legendary musical instrument. "That organ was fantastic and it was a very, very special place to play,” Roda said. “(The rink) was about 185 feet long or so. It was a tough place for visiting players to play. People I know found it an intimidating place to play. If you weren't ready to play a game in Chicago Stadium you were in the wrong business because of the type of atmosphere in there. I always enjoyed the ice area, it was never a problem. “Now it's a parking lot and it's unfortunate that the Stadium is no longer there." Chicago Stadium perfectly fit into its era and was vastly different from the other NHL rinks in Boston, Detroit, Montreal, New York and Toronto during the days of the Original Six between 1942 and 1967. Sign up here for your FREE Playoff Fantasy Hockey Challenge team, exclusively on NHL.com. “You couldn't hide in the some of these Original Six places because the ice surfaces were small. A lot of history, a lot of tradition. Growing up as a young boy in Canada, of course following the Original Six teams and having an opportunity to play in the National Hockey League, it was pretty exciting. A lot of old rinks with lots of character are gone (now), replaced with fancy buildings for revenue opportunities now.” The new arenas are, in some cases, too nice. The chairs are too plush and don't have the character -- or probably the stories that a chair from Chicago Stadium could tell. It is well known that Blackhawks games routinely broke city fire laws because there were more people in the building than the 17,317-seat capacity. There was the fog horn after goals, Melgard and the organ, and if the chair could talk, the stories would probably be intriguing. Author: Evan Weiner | NHL.com Correspondent

http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=476999

Dwight Howard and the Biggest Posers in the NBA Before I start off this article, let me first say that I respect each and every one of these players. I admire the work they put in to get to the level they're currently at and they deserve all the credit for achieving their biggest goals and dreams. So, that makes it a lot easier to say that we're going to find and discuss the NBA's top five biggest posers. What exactly is a poser? It's a player that's either attempting to be something they're not or a player that creates more problems than solutions. Whether it's on or off the court, these five usually are attempting to put on the facade that they're a completely different person. Some are physical specimens that play small and others are small players that attempt to pass themselves off as big. Either way, they all share the same characteristic of attempting to be something they're not or completely going against the gameplan. Instead of making the necessary adjustments and sacrifices needed, after demanding a trade to that team, you may just earn yourself a spot on the league's biggest posers. We take a look at these five players and the reasons why they have ended up on this unfortunate list. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images It's become incredibly agitating seeing Dwight Howard and his latest opinion every other day. It's annoying mostly because he didn't have to be in this situation in the first place. Howard was a free agent heading into the summer, but decided to take on an opt-in clause that would allow another year for the Orlando Magic to either make a compelling trade or find the players that could help Dwight to another Finals appearance. Instead, Howard started accusing the Magic organization of blackmailing him, although it's reasonable to believe Dwight didn't know what blackmail meant at the time. This came about when Dwight was under the belief the Magic front office tricked him into staying another year. The Magic want to get rid of Dwight by this point, which is why they're listening to these awful offers from Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers. They're tired of the headache their franchise center is causing and their angry that they just let go of their general manager and head coach because of Dwight, who was believed to have been behind a coup to oust Stan Van Gundy as the Magic coach. Now we continue to wait. The teams that Howard wants to go to don't have the trade chips to acquire him and every other team is backing off due to Dwight only wanting to re-sign in either L.A. or BK. So much for Dwight caring about his fans. He's completely turned the fanbase against him after the embarrassing sequence of events that have taken place over the past few months. Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images It's beginning to be tough to believe that Carmelo Anthony is capable of leading this New York Knicks team towards a championship run. In a little over a season since he joined the Knicks, Anthony has yet to make a single adjustment. He took on the facilitator role early on and finished the season averaging only 3.6 assists per game to go along with a mere 22.6 points per game on 43 percent shooting. 'Melo's shooting and scoring were at the lowest since early on in his career. Anthony is an excellent player in an isolation setting, but he can't seem to involve his teammates. In fact, he's made Amar'e Stoudemire look worse every time they're on the floor together. There were too many instances last season where Anthony would be taking nearly three times as many shots as Stoudemire, a player who was once arguably known as the best scorer at his position. That's what Carmelo can do. He doesn't involve his teammates enough. Those one-on-one situations can only work for so long, before you have to begin involving your teammates in order to actually win games. The only way the Knicks make a breakthrough and advance themselves is if Anthony makes the sacrifice and adjustment of playing off the ball and attempting to pass more. This Knicks team is too stacked not to work. They have two excellent scorers and the league's top defender; there are absolutely no excuses for this team to get ousted in the first round. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images I'll let Udonis Haslem handle this one: ‘I think sometimes people just use the TVs and the cameras and the crowd, you know, to put on a show. I don’t think he’s all that he shows out there on the court. I think anybody can be a tough guy with a thousand people watching on TV and referees who call fouls and stop the game and different things like that. I don’t seeing him being any tough guy that he puts on the show to be, at all … If we were playing at the park, I don’t think he’d be doing all that." The Miami Heat have had some bouts with Kendrick Perkins since his Boston Celtics days. With Dwyane Wade driving to the rim as much as he did to will his team to victory, the Celtics would utilize Perkins as the bruising center who would hack at Wade to send a message. Obviously, his longtime teammates, such as Haslem, would have something to say about it. Perkins also had something to say to LeBron James. Following Blake Griffin's tremendous poster on Kendrick, LeBron James sent out a tweet praising Griffin's dunk and downplaying the dunk he had over John Lucas that same day. Of course, Perkins had something to say to James, despite the rest of the NBA world also having something to say. Why single out LeBron? He's not even saying anything about Kendrick Perkins in the first place. Blake could have performed the same dunk over any defender and James would have said the same thing. It's just Kendrick attempting to stir up some more animosity. And the perma-scowl etched on Perkins face? It can only work for so long. Harry How/Getty Images Blake Griffin is a 6'10", 250-pound man-beast that is capable of jumping over buildings and running through brick walls. Things like this should never happen. If you're that big and constantly creating contact in the lane, your jaw running into someone's shoulder shouldn't cause you to writhe in agony for an entire possession. There's a fine line between selling the foul and making yourself look foolish, and Griffin had no trouble crossing it and establishing an entire new area of the art of flopping. Understood that a lot of star players flop, but Griffin should never be flopping over minor hits or even attempting to flop in the first place. That's not a reputation you want to build early in your career, especially when it seems that so many opponents are gunning for you. Blake's become a target of many overly-physical fouls as a result of teams attempting to send a message. The message is mostly used to keep Blake out of the lane, but it's also a message to experience contact worth complaining over. At the age of 23 and after only two years, there's no room to flop and then constantly argue for fouls. I'd say when a jump shot and some solid defense comes around, then Blake could have some reasons to run to the officials in hopes that they'll reverse their decision and make a different call, preferably in his favor. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images This one may be surprising to some, but if you saw what I saw in the Miami Heat's series against the Indiana Pacers, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Danny Granger could not stop attempting to start an altercation with either Dwyane Wade or LeBron James. Numerous times throughout the series, Granger was caught annoying the two and attempting to create a situation out of nothing. Maybe once to send a message, but throughout the series? He pulled on James' jersey to create an altercation, went over the top of LeBron to start a fight, and even going after Dwyane Wade, a player who is four inches shorter than him. That's three separate altercations in a series that lasted six games, all facilitated by Granger Who is Granger attempting to fool? He's usually been mild-mannered, so why did he suddenly become this big talker in a series against the Heat? If he was trying to send a message, it obviously didn't happen because James and Wade shook off each instance. Granger was just attempting to annoy the two into playing badly, instead of utilizing his own average defensive abilities to contain either of the two. Either way, it was embarrassing; because Granger is certainly not the player who should be facilitating altercations.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1266366-dwight-howard-and-the-biggest-posers-in-the-nba

Peyton Manning: Broncos QB Should Be Considered Top 5 Fantasy Quarterback Peyton Manning is back and believe it or not, enters the 2012 underrated for possibly the first time in his career. Considering he’s learning a new offense in a new city with new teammates and coaches, fantasy owners don’t know what to expect from the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer. Oh yeah, then there is the series of neck surgeries that kept him out for the entire 2011 season. All things considered, the newest member of the Denver Broncos is going to be a fantasy risk…but it’s a risk worth taking. In his debut last Thursday against the Chicago Bears, Manning was 4-of-7 for 44 yards and an interception. The interception was off a fluky deflection that hit Brandon Stokley in the shoulders in the pouring rain. We all know you would be crazy to judge Manning on one drive in a meaningless preseason game, but it was encouraging to see him barking orders at the line of scrimmage and still possessing some serious zip on the ball. His neck didn’t appear to bother him one bit. Looking at the Broncos roster, the two candidates to help Manning’s life easier right away will be Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. At 6’3’’ and 230 pounds, Thomas is the perfect red-zone target for Manning and also his best deep threat. He is a budding star that can fully blossom under the tutelage of Manning. Remember, this is a guy that’s been stuck with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow in his two seasons in the league. Collecting 1,000 yards and 10 TDs is certainly in the realm of possibilities. Then there is Decker, my pick to end up as Manning’s go-to receiver. The pair connected on a beautiful 19-yard gain Thursday when the Broncos were facing 3rd-and-17. Decker, who excels out of the slot, has the crisp route-running ability and sticky hands that have made plenty of Colt receivers millions of dollars in the past. Decker is a cerebral player who can handle the load Manning gives him. Expect their chemistry to be spectacular as the season rolls on. With a strong running game and above-average O-line, Manning has all of the tools to put up big numbers on a team with plenty of potential. The incredible stat of Manning that gets swept under the rug is his 227-game streak of consecutive starts. This guy was the symbol of consistency before suffering the neck injury. In a league where one hit can end a career regardless of who the player is, his durability over the last 13 seasons of action can’t be overlooked. Is Peyton Manning a Top-5 Fantasy QB in 2012? Don’t let his neck injury be the only reason you skip Peyton. Manning isn’t going to put up the same type of numbers that Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers will in 2012, but he will be a better pick than the injury-plagued Matthew Stafford, the consistent but not amazing Matt Ryan, the turnover prone Tony Romo, and Ben Roethlisberger, who is already dealing with a slew of injuries. Manning has always been fantasy gold, and there is no reason to believe 2012 will be any different. Peyton is back and ready to play a major part in winning you a fantasy football championship. Take advantage of the suckers who overlook him. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1296278-peyton-manning-broncos-qb-should-be-considered-top-5-fantasy-quarterback

MLB Trade Rumors: Alfonso Soriano and the Top 10 Moveable Players on the Market After the months of speculation leading up to July's trade deadline finally came to a head, it seemed like we could all finally breathe a bit and watch the second half of the MLB season play itself out. That notion was quickly put to rest when the waiver wire acted up in August. We saw players like Joe Blanton and Cliff Lee make news, and while a deal for Lee was never reached, that doesn't mean that others wouldn't be made. The blockbuster deal sending seemingly half of the Boston Red Sox to the Los Angeles Dodgers certainly turned the heads of the entire baseball world, and while it may be impossible to expect another trade like that, it doesn't mean that the action has ceased. 10. Travis Hafner Leon Halip/Getty Images During Travis Hafner's best days, he was one of the most dangerous hitters in the AL Central and was consistently in AL MVP consideration. He's run into issues staying on the field since then and is currently on the 15-day disabled list, but if healthy, he can still definitely be a home run threat in the Indians lineup. Either way, you would think a trade may be more likely to occur as the team has fallen back from contention in the division. For quite some time, it's looked like this would be Hafner's last season in Cleveland. 9. Andres Torres Recently placed on waivers by the New York Mets, outfielder Andres Torres isn't having an outstanding 2012 season by any means, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be a useful target for a contending team down the stretch. The center fielder is batting just .233 this season, but a 16-homer campaign in 2010 in which he stole nearly 30 bases shows just what he's capable of when he's at his best. He'll be under team control for another season, and at just under $3 million this season, Torres wouldn't break the bank. 8. Carlos Marmol Joe Robbins/Getty Images Control is a premium for relief pitchers hoping to make a positive impact for their team, so it's no surprise that Carlos Marmol has been a disappointment on the mound in 2012. Walking nearly nine batters per nine innings, he has a WHIP approaching 2.00 and an ERA of 4.02. With the Cubs looking to rebuild in any way they can, it wouldn't be surprising to see Marmol, who recently cleared waivers, head out of Wrigley sooner rather than later. 7. Scott Hairston Jason Szenes/Getty Images Thirty-two-year-old Scott Hairston has had a relatively successful 2012 season thus far, with a batting average approaching .275 and the highest home run total (14) he's posted since 2008. The New York Mets have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, and deciding on whether or not to retain Hairston may not be one of them. The utility player was placed on waivers along with teammate Andres Torres, and as teams continue to define needs as they head into stretch runs, Hairston could pique the interest of suitors. 6. Justin Morneau Jared Wickerham/Getty Images After struggling through concussion problems and other injuries over the past couple of seasons, Justin Morneau appears to finally be hitting his stride. He's gone deep 17 times in 102 games so far in 2012. With his numbers up in virtually every category from last season, Morneau would be a great add for any team looking to bring in a home run threat. With this weekend's news, it's hard to believe the Dodgers would still be interested, but in eight games this month, Morneau is batting .333 with four home runs, 14 RBI and an OPS of nearly 1.000. He'll certainly fit in somewhere. 5. Jeff Francoeur J. Meric/Getty Images The San Francisco Giants found themselves in a serious predicament recently when they lost slugger Melky Cabrera for the rest of the season after he was handed a 50-game suspension for testosterone usage. Whether or not they look to outside sources for help in the outfield remains to be seen, but as Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com points out, they could look towards Kansas City Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur as a short-term solution. 4. Jacoby Ellsbury Jared Wickerham/Getty Images The Boston Red Sox lineup card has seen some serious changes in the past handful of days, with a number of top stars making their way to the west coast. It would be hard to believe they'll continue to look to unload talent, but as Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe noted, Jacoby Ellsbury is the most recent player in Fenway to hit the waiver wire. No suitor has been revealed, but a team like the Los Angeles Angels could benefit from a player of Ellsbury's caliber, especially as they fight for attention in the city with the suddenly-revamped Dodgers. 3. Edinson Volquez Denis Poroy/Getty Images In his first season in San Diego, Edinson Volquez has posted an 8-9 record with an ERA hovering just over 4.00. He'll be under team control for another season, but the starting pitcher has been placed on waivers, and with his name popping up in July with a connection to the Atlanta Braves, it wouldn't be surprising if he garnered some additional interest now. 2. Justin Upton Christian Petersen/Getty Images As is the case anytime the waiver wire lights up, players that almost certainly won't move are pushed out there, even if it means they'll still finish the season in the same uniform. With the mega trade that we just saw send some superstars from Boston to Los Angeles, it's clear that anything is possible. The Arizona Diamondbacks did place star Justin Upton on waivers, and while it's not clear whether or not any serious suitors could emerge, it's definitely something worth watching. 1. Alfonso Soriano Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Earlier, we mentioned the San Francisco Giants' potential need for additional help in the outfield. While Jeff Francoeur may be a more thrifty option to bolster the lineup, adding a player like Alfonso Soriano would help the team match the wheeling and dealing of the division-rival Dodgers. Soriano is owed $18 million per season through 2014, and while he's been considered somewhat of a black hole from a salary perspective, he's been relatively consistent, going deep at least 20 times every season since 2001. This season, he has his highest batting average since 2008.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1311758-mlb-trade-rumors-alfonso-soriano-and-the-top-10-moveable-players-on-the-market

Ranking the Pac-12's Toughest Schedules A month into the college football season, the rankings have gone through some changes. Three overrated pretenders (Michigan, Wisconsin and Arkansas) have fallen, one (Oregon State) has risen and three (Arizona, USC and UCLA) have risen and fallen only to rise again. Now, there are still a few questions about the Pac-12 that, when answered, will allow us to determine which Pac-12 team has the strongest (or scariest, depending on how your team is doing right now) schedule. First, where does Southern Cal belong? My gut says the Trojans still take the South, but the Bruins and Sun Devils may make some noise before all is done. Speaking of the Sun Devils, where does one put Arizona State in a Pac-12 power ranking? Many have ASU fifth or sixth, but the Sun Devils could easily be third or fourth. Many questions remain unanswered as the calendar flips to October. But, as of now, which teams look like they will truly run the gauntlet in Pac-12 play this year? These five teams have the toughest road to the title. 5. Washington Huskies Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images This last slot was difficult to place. I considered USC and Colorado. Both have schedules of similar difficulty. USC's is loaded with good teams at the end of the season. Colorado's is toughest in October and November. But several of its toughest opponents play the Buffaloes in Boulder. I wanted to put the Huskies lower (or higher, I suppose). They have three Top-10 teams (LSU, Stanford and Oregon) on their schedule in their first five games, and their October schedule is no cupcake buffet. But they close with an easy November that, with the early-season win over Stanford, should give them at least seven wins. Washington lost to LSU in Baton Rouge and has road games at Oregon and Arizona State. But USC and Oregon State have to visit Seattle in October and hope they don't end up like Stanford. 4. California Golden Bears Ezra Shaw/Getty Images At times, such as against Ohio State in Columbus, Cal looked like a 7-5 team, but the Bears choked against earlier and easier competition, and now they are reeling, looking for a Pac-12 win somewhere, anywhere. Their schedule, however, isn't forgiving. It has seven ranked teams, possibly eight, with Arizona State on the cusp. Only three of those games are away, which is bad. Why bad? Isn't a home game against a great opponent usually a good thing? Well, if you are the Bears and are expected to get crushed, wouldn't you rather get crushed on the road and save the games you might be able to win for home, in your brand-new stadium? Instead, the Bears' best hope of snagging that Pac-12 victory is in Pullman against Washington State on Oct. 13. What's even worse about the Bears schedule is that there are no breaks. Though they need time off, they go at it every week. The longest span between games is November 2nd to November 10th. They face the Washington Huskies and then the Oregon Ducks. 3. Stanford Cardinal Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Though they've taken a lot of heat for their lack of offense in last week's loss at Washington, I have to hand it to the Cardinal: they don't choose to take the easy road. After the first two games (easy victories over San Jose State from the WAC and Duke from the ACC), Stanford's ride is rough, with seven ranked or previously ranked opponents, split into chunks of four and three at a time. Four of those ranked games are away (Washington, Notre Dame, Oregon and UCLA) and the other three are at the Farm. They've already dropped one away from home, so the Cardinal have to hope their sputtering offense doesn't become a trend when on the road. And you know what's really annoying (for a Stanford fan, anyway) about that loss to Washington (well, other than the loss)? It feels like they wasted their off week. Now they just have to ride it out. 2. Oregon State Beavers Christian Petersen/Getty Images Not many were expecting Oregon State to make a turnaround quite as sharply as it has. Now every game on a Pac-12 schedule with the Beavers is suddenly scary. And it's not like Oregon State is rising on the backs of lesser foes. The Beavers' first big game (and really, their first game) was against the overrated No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers. But at the time, we didn't know this, at least not quite. Wisconsin had trouble the week before against Northern Iowa, as it looked like David was slapping Goliath all around the field). Next, the Beavers toppled UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Then they headed into the desert against an angry Arizona team looking to bounce back from a humiliating defeat to Oregon. The Wildcats almost won, until Oregon State QB Sean Mannion stole it from them on a stunning last drive. With so many high-profile victories, one almost forgets that they were all hard-fought, two of them on the road. But that's the way the Beavers roll, as evidenced by their roller-coaster ride of a schedule. Of their seven ranked matchups, five are away (and the Civil War with Oregon doesn't really give them home-field advantage). How long the Beavers can sustain their drive is anyone's guess. But the Pac-12 is on alert: Look out for Oregon State. 1. Arizona Wildcats Christian Petersen/Getty Images Washington and Oregon State have gotten attention for their rough September and October schedules, probably the roughest in all of college football, some pundits claim. That has to mean that no one has looked at Arizona's schedule because... well, words can't capture it. Take a look: Toledo, Oklahoma State, South Carolina State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 14 Oregon State, No. 18 Stanford, Open Date, No. 23 Washington, No. 13 USC, No. 25 UCLA, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State. That's right. In a seven-week stretch, from September 22nd to November 3rd, Arizona has six ranked teams on its schedule, three of which have been in the Top 10 (with the Beavers on the cusp), with half of those games on the road. I, for one, am impressed with how well Rich Rodriguez, Matt Scott and company have endured against such a difficult slate. One can easily imagine that if the big games were a bit more spread out, the Wildcats might have a chance to pull off upsets similar to what they did against Oklahoma State. As it is, even the open date hardly seems like enough of a buffer to regroup and heal, The 'Cats are already battered and thinned two games into this rigorous stretch. Can they keep it together to the end and earn a bowl berth, or will the gauntlet destroy them? I expect we'll know the answer by the end of this month.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1358169-ranking-the-pac-12s-toughest-schedules

Ronaldinho: Can He Make the Brazil National Team for the 2014 World Cup? He is a player who will forever live in the hearts of football fans worldwide. Indeed, Ronaldinho's five-year spell at Barcelona last decade ranks among the greatest periods of individual brilliance ever seen in the game. He was simply untouchable. The iconic No. 10, though, has seen his career fade since his departure from Camp Nou. He failed to ignite in a two-year stint at Milan, and his return to Brazil with Flamengo was an unmitigated disaster, largely due to off-pitch incidents. After a disappointing showing against Ghana, though, former coach Mano Menezes decided that the experiment had failed—Ronaldinho was no longer able to keep pace at the highest level. Just over a year later, though, the calls for his return to the Seleção can be heard again. Following an acrimonious end to his time at Flamengo, Ronaldinho was offered redemption in the form of a short-term contract at Atlético Mineiro. The results have been impressive. The ponytailed playmaker came into the club under unusual circumstances. For the first time in his illustrious career, there had not been a clamour to secure his signature. Ronaldinho was tainted by accusations of poor professionalism, as well as a general feeling that his best days were just a distant memory. Atlético, though, gave him his chance and have been rewarded greatly for their gamble. The Porto Alegre-born star has inspired a club that was close to relegation last campaign. Alongside the likes of rising star Bernard and former Manchester City striker Jô, Ronaldinho has led a revival. Reward came this past week as, having helped the club to second place in the league, Ronaldinho was named the Brazilian championship Player of the Year. The difficulty for new Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari will not be deciding whether Ronaldinho is worthy of a place to take on England in February. On current form, he could undoubtedly offer a useful contribution. The issue will be whether there is enough reason to believe that the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year will still be performing at these levels in eighteen months' time, when football's biggest festival visits Brazil for the first time since the country's famous Maracanazo defeat of 1950. Ronaldinho has undoubtedly been in fine form for club side Atlético, but his lifestyle still draws criticism. It was the main reason behind his exit from Barcelona in 2008 and remains an issue that he has never fully resolved. I want to see him behave like a player that wants to be a world champion. He needs to change a few things.—Mano Menezes, former Brazil coach told Arena SporTV in March 2012 He has enjoyed a fine season, without question, but there are legitimate concerns that he cannot maintain this form in the long run. He enjoyed a similar purple patch at Flamengo, but performance levels dropped off after a few months. That said, the club's inability to pay their player on time undoubtedly contributed to his decline in both form and professionalism. Questions should also be asked regarding his ability to transfer this recent form onto the international stage. As everybody knows, the domestic game in Brazil is an entirely different beast. In this regard, there are several factors to consider. If Brazil are to compete with the likes of Spain and Germany at the World Cup, it will not be through the sort of tactics seen in the Brasileirão. The attacking midfielders cannot simply ignore their defensive work and linger on the halfway line, waiting for the ball to be launched forward by the defence. That would be disastrous. Thus, Brazil are going to need players who will close down, track back and, when in possession, offer a dynamic presence. In Brazil, Ronaldinho is afforded space to play the game at his pace. As he found on his last attempt at international football, though, the pace of the game could be too much for him. With those arguments against his recall, what are the arguments in favour? Will Ronaldinho make the 2014 World Cup? Well, firstly, his previous working relationship with Scolari can only help. Ronaldinho helped Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph in 2002 under the veteran manager and will hope that this relationship can earn him another shot. Scolari will not accept underperformance, but could be willing to give his former charge a chance to prove himself ahead of the Confederations Cup. Ronaldinho may not be the same player he once was, but does he need to be? With the energy of young starlets Neymar and Oscar around him, there is an argument that the former Barcelona man could be accommodated. That is something Felipão must consider. What Ronaldinho has shown this season is that he still has the skill and guile to unlock defences, even if it is now normally with a pass rather than his dribbling abilities. The Atlético star also offers more of a threat from set pieces than any current member of the squad. We are all aware that we have a dual responsibility in this tournament. The first is to present a type of football that honours our tradition.—Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian president at a press conference in December 2012. Scolari is truly in a fortunate position regarding creative options: Oscar, Neymar and Lucas Moura are all brilliant players and should still improve over the next 18 months. However, the trio will be aged just 22, 22 and 21 respectively when the tournament comes around. This is where Ronaldinho, Robinho or Kaká could have some use. Ronaldinho has enjoyed a fine campaign, Robinho is still adored in his homeland and Kaká has performed well since recall to the squad earlier this year. It would be a mistake to rely on the trio given their indifferent form in recent years, but their experience could prove invaluable as part of a very young squad. They will not all be involved, but it is likely that Scolari will look to involve one or two of the three—even if just as an option off the substitutes' bench. With Brazil hosting the tournament, the team simply have to perform, and must do so with a style and panache worthy of their traditions. Scolari now has three months to consider whether a fit, focused Ronaldinho can be the showman that the Brazilian public so desperately crave. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1434947-ronaldinho-can-he-make-the-brazil-national-team-for-the-2014-world-cup

NFL Week 15 Picks: Road Warriors That Will Narrowly Defeat Home Teams We are to the point of the NFL season where teams that need victories decide to play the best football of the season. Those same teams find a way to get into the postseason and are generally the ones who make a run once they get there. With that said, here are three road teams who will find a way to get the job done in Week 15. Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Dallas Cowboys Pittsburgh and Dallas are two teams playing for a postseason berth. The Cowboys are coming off a great road victory over the scorching hot Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers, however, are coming off one of the more disappointing performances of the season. They lost to the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field. No, Charlie Batch wasn't in the game throwing three interceptions while looking terrible. Ben Roethlisberger was back under center and received little help from the offensive line, his running backs, Todd Haley and his receivers. Now the two will lock horns in Dallas this week with a lot on the line. Mike Tomlin and his Steelers have a way of getting up for big games. Dallas is a team that every team can get up for, and Tomlin will have his guys ready similar to what they were against the Baltimore Ravens last week. Just when Dallas has your attention, they find a way to blow it down the stretch. They will do it again. Prediction: Steelers 20, Cowboys 17. New York Giants defeat Atlanta Falcons All teams go through a funk at one point of a 16-game season. Atlanta is currently going to go through that funk. With the Giants coming into town, and with their ability to get up for games, New York and Eli Manning will find a way to get the job done in Atlanta. Atlanta's defense is average this season. Prior to Sunday's game against Carolina, the Falcons ranked 15th in passing yards allowed and 20th in rushing yards allowed. If Manning can receive time to throw the football he will carve up the Falcons' defense. Also, Matt Ryan hasn't been overly impressive since playing the Saints on Nov. 11. Since that game, Ryan has accounted for four touchdowns and seven interceptions. Against a stingy defensive front four, New York will find a way to rattle Ryan just like they did last year in the postseason. Prediction: Giants 27, Falcons 23. San Francisco 49ers defeat New England Patriots Remember when the Arizona Cardinals went to New England and defensively defeated the Patriots earlier this season? They forced a turnover, held New England to 5-of-15 on third downs and won at the line of scrimmage. San Francisco will play that same exact role in Week 15. The 49ers are another team that gets up for games when they feel disrespected. Throughout this week, San Francisco will hear its share of doubts from the analysts. With its stout defense, San Francisco will have the right remedy for Brady and the Patriots. Expect one of San Francisco's best games of the season. Prediction: 49ers 20, Patriots 17. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1438823-nfl-week-15-picks-road-warriors-that-will-narrowly-defeat-home-teams

Michigan vs. Ohio State: Twitter Reaction, Postgame Recap and Analysis The Ohio State Buckeyes got off to a fast start and held on for the thrilling 56-53 win at home. The loss was the first of the season for the No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines. There are now no unbeaten teams in Division I NCAA basketball. The Wolverines fought back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game on two occasions late, but they didn't have the final push to pull out the tough road victory. This was a great game to watch and served as a preview of things to come in the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness in general. Here is a balanced account of what took place at the Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan assistant coach Bacari Alexander gave this pregame speech to his team before the loss to the Buckeyes on Sunday. The Wolverines came into the game as the nation's last undefeated team, and everyone wanted to know if this was the day the "0" would go. That includes ESPN's Jay Williams: This game had several qualities. The sweet alley-oop plays were just one aspect: The Wolverines battled back from a 20-point deficit to tie the game, and that resiliency made this a regular-season gem: And #Michigan has tied the game! WOW. We got a game!— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) January 13, 2013 ESPN's college hoops Twitter feed delivers the news: BBall (@ESPNCBB) January 13, 2013 How the Buckeyes Won This Game 16-0 Run Early in the First Half Perhaps the Wolverines were overconfident heading into this game. It is possible the speech from Alexander didn't help matters. In any case, they didn't look as though they were ready to match the Buckeyes' intensity. With strong and aggressive defense, the Buckeyes built a huge lead on a strength of a 16-0 run. After Trey Burke started the game with a three-pointer, the Wolverines found themselves down 16-3 shortly thereafter. Part of the product of the Buckeyes defense was a plethora of turnovers from Michigan. The Buckeyes harassed the Wolverines into 13 miscues, with nine coming in the first half. Coming into the game, Michigan was averaging just nine giveaways per game. Wolverines Should Have Played Zone From the Beginning The Buckeyes have only one dependable scorer in the half court, and that is Deshaun Thomas. Michigan starting the game in man-to-man coverage allowed Thomas to get off early, as they didn't have a defender who could contain him. He finished with 20 points, and the other Buckeyes who excelled offensively got most of their buckets in transition. No other Buckeye had double figures in the game. Aaron Craft and Sam Thompson each had nine points, but seven of Craft's points came in the first half. The Wolverines' eventual switch to a zone midway through the first half keyed the comeback, but the Buckeyes had already gained momentum. Heroes and Goats Heroes: Deshaun Thomas and Sam Thompson Thomas continues to prove he is a prime-time scorer and leader. He made several big shots en route to another impressive scoring performance. Thompson's energy on defense led to crowd-igniting slams and constant pressure on the ball. Goat: Trey Burke Burke's NBA draft stock took a hit in this game. He didn't display a ton of poise, struggling to get his team into the offense. He also didn't shoot well, as Craft's tenacious defense seem to bother him all game. This led to a few questionable shots. Burke finished with 15 points and four assists, but he only shot 4-of-13 from the field, and he committed four turnovers. He was not as good as his team needed him to be. Michigan showed a lot of heart in coming back, and it nearly won this game. However, the Wolverines showed that their inexperience can be their undoing. They were not prepared for the intensity this rivalry game brought, and the atmosphere consumed them early. They must grow up quickly if they plan on going deep into the NCAA tournament. The Buckeyes scored a huge win at home, but their lack of offensive options will hurt them against top teams. That will be a bigger factor when they aren't playing at home. That said, their tough defense will keep them in most any game. Follow Brian Mazique and Franchiseplay on YouTube and Twitter for reactions, analysis and news from the world of sports and sports video games. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1483240-michigan-vs-ohio-state-twitter-reaction-postgame-recap-and-analysis

Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson: What Went Wrong for Dodson? On Saturday night in the United Center in Chicago, the UFC flyweight championship was on the line as Demetrious Johnson defended against Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson. The battle was fast-paced, as expected, although few would have guessed that Demetrious Johnson would be dropped three times in the opening frames of his first title defense. However, in Round 3, everything turned around for "The Magician," and 15 minutes later, he saw Johnson have his arm raised as Bruce Buffer announced "Mighty Mouse" as the bout's winner. So what went wrong for John Dodson? Lack of Killer Instinct In Round 2, Dodson scored a four-punch combination that dropped Johnson hard. All signs pointed to a new champion; however, the challenger apparently couldn't smell the blood in the water. Instead of pressing the action and unleashing a flurry of strikes on his downed opponent, Dodson allowed Johnson to return to his feet and gave him a moment to recover. Later in the frame, he landed another big shot that sent Mighty Mouse down, and this time he charged forward. However, this opening wasn't as good as the previous one, and Johnson was quickly back to his feet. If the "what if's" in your life are going to haunt you in your senior years, there is no question that Dodson will always wonder what would have been if he had put his foot on the gas at a time that demanded it. Conditioning Not Enough for Five Rounds How many pitchers do you see take the mound and throw fastballs over and over again for nine full innings? The reason that John Dodson faded after Round 3 lies in the fact that he throws a lot of haymakers. The flyweight has never had cardio issues in previous bouts, but then again, this is the first time that heavy-handed speedster went into championship rounds. When Dodson couldn't keep his foot on the gas any longer, Johnson kept the pressure at a maximum and used superior technique to do a lot of damage up against the cage. Demetrious Johnson Has Too Much Heart Some may look at Johnson vs. Dodson as a flyweight version of Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard. The challenger has heavy hands and used them well in the early rounds. The champion recognizes the terrible situation that surrounds him and refuses to relinquish his belt. Anyone who witnessed Johnson's fight with Joseph Benavidez saw exactly what his determination can accomplish. Benavidez secured a deep guillotine choke that should have ended the fight; however, the pure will of Johnson gave him the strength to frantically wiggle free and save himself. That same determination saw Johnson test his own limits and drown Dodson in deep waters for the final rounds. In any event, this was a great performance for John Dodson. He represented The Ultimate Fighter well and gave reason for viewers to believe that the show can still deliver championship fighters. Unfortunately for The Magician, it was Johnson who proved himself the better man. With some quality performances in 2013 and a little bit of luck, he could find himself in title contention once again in early 2014. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1502636-demetrious-johnson-vs-john-dodson-what-went-wrong-for-dodson

Washington Nationals: Are They Better Than the Atlanta Braves? Patrick McDermott/Getty Images The Washington Nationals were perceived as locks to win the National League East after another strong offseason. However, after the Atlanta Braves acquired Justin Upton from the Arizona Diamondbacks, there is now a debate as to which team is better. Yet, despite the Braves' big splash, the Nationals are still the superior team. Let’s start by looking at each team’s lineups. The Braves' top of the lineup will likely consist of Andrelton Simmons, Jason Heyward and Justin Upton. This group has a lot of potential and talent, but there will be questions about consistency. The Nationals on the other hand, have Denard Span, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman leading things off. These guys have a lot of experience, but Werth and Zimmerman have been declining over the past two years. Span gives the Nationals a true leadoff hitter they’ve sorely needed. Freddie Freeman will be the cleanup hitter for the Braves, followed by B.J. Upton and Dan Uggla. The problem here is that Upton and Uggla are low-contact, high-strikeout hitters. However, with all of the opportunities they will get with men on base, expect the duo to have bounce-back seasons. The Nationals have Adam LaRoche, Bryce Harper and Ian Desmond at the four, five and six spots. Washington chose LaRoche over Michael Morse, and for good reason. In each of his last two full seasons, LaRoche has had 100 RBI and over 60 extra-base hits. Harper has the highest upside out of any National, and will look to follow a solid rookie year with an electric sophomore campaign. Desmond had his best season last year, but the Nationals have to be a little concerned about his injury problems. Who Will Win the NL East This Season? The seventh spot in each team’s lineup is rather strong. Brian McCann is widely regarded as one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, even if he had a disappointing season in 2012. Danny Espinosa strikes out a lot and has a low average, but he steals bases and has excellent power for a middle infielder. Finally, the Braves have a below-average hitter in Juan Francisco batting before the pitcher, and the Nationals have a promising catcher in Wilson Ramos. Both lineups are amongst the best in the league. But while Atlanta is more of a streaky hitting team, the evolution of Harper will make the Nationals' lineup a threat to every pitcher they face. Additionally, both teams have elite bullpens. Craig Kimbrel is one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball and is more than a formidable option for the Braves in the ninth inning. Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty took a step back last year, but with the addition of fireballer Jordan Walden, the Braves' top relievers will be able to have more rest throughout the season. The Nationals already had a late-inning combination of Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard before they signed Rafael Soriano. Now they boast three great right-handed relievers. The problem with the Nationals' bullpen is that they don’t have an effective left-handed reliever, unless you want to count Zach Duke. The Braves, on the other hand, have a good mix of relievers that can handle any situation presented. However, the biggest advantage that either of these teams have on one another is the Nationals' starting pitching. Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez are already one of the top duos in the MLB; adding Dan Haren and Jordan Zimmermann to the mix gives Washington arguably the best starting rotation in the majors. The Braves have Tim Hudson as their ace. Hudson has injury concerns, but he’s been a reliable pitcher over the past couple of seasons. Kris Medlen was a force for the Braves down the stretch last year; if the Braves have any chance of winning the NL East, they’ll need Medlen to maintain a similar performance. The rest of the Braves' rotation includes Mike Minor, Paul Maholm and Julio Teheran. Those three certainly make the Braves' starting rotation weaker than the Nationals, even if Ross Detwiler is their fifth starter. The Nationals simply have more talent and depth. Even though the Braves have a better bullpen, I think that Davey Johnson will manage his pen better than Fredi Gonzalez. This division race will be close, but the Nationals will pull away in the last few weeks of September. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1504498-washington-nationals-are-they-better-than-the-atlanta-braves

Murph Settles, Avoids Hearing Daniel Murphy has settled to avoid an arbitration hearing. He will earn slightly less than the $2.975 million midpoint of his asking price and the team's offer, a baseball source told ESPNNewYork.com. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1507330-murph-settles-avoids-hearing

Seattle Seahawks: Did Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner Deserve ROY Awards? Over the weekend, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly won the NFL's Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, while Seattle Seahawks Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson finished in second and third place respectively in the voting done by the Associated Press. As the Seattle Times' Danny O'Neil reported: Seattle’s draft class was panned in April. In January, though, Seattle had two of the top six rookies according to Associated Press ballots. Linebacker Bobby Wagner was runner-up in Defensive Rookie of the Year to Luke Kuechly of Carolina, the No. 9 overall pick. Kuechly received 28 first-place votes, Wagner 11. Green Bay cornerback Casey Hayward finished third with six first-place votes. Quarterback Russell Wilson was third in votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Robert Griffin III of Washington won the award, receiving 29 of 50 votes. Andrew Luck of Indianapolis received 11 votes, Wilson received 10. The balloting by 50 designated voters concluded before the start of the postseason. Voters selected one winner. There were no second and third-place votes in balloting. While I'm not shocked that RG3 won the offensive award, I was a little surprised Kuechly beat out Wagner. In both votes what really has me scratching my head is the margin by which RG3 and Kuechly won. On the offensive side of the coin the competition was fierce between not only the No. 1 and No. 2 selections in the April draft, but the man chosen 70-plus spots following them. If you're a fan of the underdog, you will be hard-pressed to find a better story than Russell Wilson this season or most others. The undersized third-round draft choice took the city of Seattle and the NFL by storm in a story that now reads like a cheesy Hollywood script. The fact of the matter is that it was really a fairly lengthy process that began last spring and took shape over the better part of the season. Wilson painstakingly won over his coaches, teammates, fans and eventually the entire league by taking on all comers and proving the critics wrong every step of the way. Yet choosing among RG3, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson isn't as easy as you might imagine. Who deserved the Offensive ROY Award? As much as I love Wilson, I can understand the appeal of RG3 and how voters were amazed by him from the very beginning to the very end. Who could forget RG3's Week 1 performance when he went to New Orleans and won with a dazzling display of dominance by attacking through the air and on the ground. Fast-forward to the regular-season finale at home against the Cowboys with the division title up for grabs when Griffin once again got the job done with the help of fellow rookie Alfred Morris at running back. By the way, where were the ROY votes for Morris? A sixth-round pick from Florida Atlantic rushes for 1,613 yards with 13 touchdowns while helping his team to the playoffs and his teammate wins in a landslide while he doesn't get a single vote from the 50 writers? It all leads me to believe that Griffin's knack for drama is what has the media and fans spellbound. It also leads me to believe it's part of why he stayed in the wild-card game against the Seahawks well past the point he should have. Patrick McDermott/Getty Images Wilson, on the other hand, perhaps because he has been reminded throughout his life about his limitations, seems to have a solid grasp of what he should and shouldn't do on the field of play. That maturity came through against the Redskins as he rallied the 'Hawks back on the road and leads me to wonder how many voters would have changed their vote if they had the chance now? On the defensive side, Wagner was a second-round pick joining an already solid defense, but asked to help shore up what was arguably the team's weakest point at linebacker. Following the departure of veteran David Hawthorne via free agency, Wagner was drafted with the hopes of taking over the middle linebacker spot after the top middle linebacker in the draft was selected just a few spots ahead of the Seahawks' first-round pick. Whether the 'Hawks would have drafted Luke Kuechly is something we will probably never know, but with the Carolina Panthers grabbing him at No. 9, the brain trust of head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider adjusted accordingly and eventually found their man in the middle in Round 2. A position that going in to the season looked like a potential liability soon became a strength, with Wagner always at the center of the action while leading the team in tackles playing alongside second-year man K.J. Wright and veteran Leroy Hill. With that said, did Wagner deserve to win given his contributions to the Seahawks this season? Who Deserved the Defensive ROY Award? In Carolina this season Kuechly posted 165 tackles and took over the middle linebacker spot after veteran Jon Beason went down for the season with an injury early in the season. At the same time I don't see how Kuechly got 28 first-place votes versus only 11 for Wagner. At times like these I can imagine some fans crying about an East Coast bias within the media, but I'm not sure how much I buy that here given the fact that the Seahawks had four first-team All-Pro selections this year. Perhaps in both cases Wilson and Wagner's success was seen as a byproduct of an already solid roster built by Pete Carroll and John Schneider? Once again, we will probably never know, but by now Wilson and Wagner are likely accustomed to the critics looking past them. Either way I like to think both slights will be stowed away and some day used as motivation for Wilson and Wagner, who seem the kind of players who may forgive but will never forget. Winning rookie of the year may be nice, but I hope that both men have their sights set on something far more grandiose over the course of time, while helping lift the Seahawks to a level that no one will be able to deny them with a popular vote...a Super Bowl championship. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1516181-seattle-seahawks-did-russell-wilson-and-bobby-wagner-deserve-roy-awards

Clutch Hitting and Strong Pitching Are Keys To First-Place Padres' Success After last night’s rally and dramatic bottom of the ninth victory, the Padres (17-10) assured themselves of having another successful homestand. Winners of six of their last eight games and 11-4 at home, the Padres continue to roll. On the offensive side, the Padres are showing an ability to hit with runners in scoring position—they are second in the National League with a .293 team average. After collecting their third walk-off win of the season, they are also proving that they have the ability to come through when the game is on the line. Showing that he is a go-to-guy in the clutch, with two outs, Chase Headley, lined a 1-0 count single to the right-center gap, scoring Lance Zawadski from second base. This was Headley’s second walk-off hit of the season; the other walk-off hit for the Padres was a home run by David Eckstein. Aside from the timely hitting, strong pitching has also been a major reason for their early season success—with a 2.81 team ERA that ranks second in the NL. Last night’s starting pitcher, Wade LeBlanc, called up to replace the injured Chris Young in the rotation, allowed two earned runs over six innings, received a no-decision. In three other starts this season LeBlanc (2-0, 1.16) has only one earned run and has shown a lot of promise. LeBlanc was the pitcher of record in two of the Padres’ Major League leading six shutouts. Opening day starter and free-agent acquisition, Jon Garland (3-2, 2.06) has been a steady contributor. Veteran Kevin Correia (4-2, 3.97) leads the team in wins and strikeouts with 30. Second-year starter Clayton Richard (1-2, 3.00) is beginning to hit his stride. The only sore spot in the rotation has been 22-year-old Mat Latos (1-3, 5.47), who has given up a team-high seven home runs. All-star Heath Bell (2-0, 1.64) anchors a strong bullpen with seven saves in eight chances. It is still too early to tell if the first-place Padres have what it takes to take the division. But the middle of May just might give a clue as whether or not the Padres are true contenders. If they manage to come out with a winning record against the second-place Giants and are able to take advantage of the struggling Dodgers, who were early season favorites to win the division, then the Padres will most likely still be atop the division. And that may just be time to start taking the overachieving Padres seriously. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/388553-clutch-hitting-and-strong-pitching-keys-to-first-place-padres-success

Daryl Johnston: Understanding Roles of Our FBs in the Chargers Offense I got into a little debate with a Raider fan a long time ago. The debate was based on a article I wrote awhile back appropriately named "Pick Your Poison: A Look at the 2010 Chargers Offensive Arsenal". In that article, I named Jacob Hester and Mike Tolbert as part of the Chargers offensive weapons. This Raider fan, from what I gather, didn't know much about the Chargers offense, so I decided to write this article on why these guys are weapons. If there is ever a indication of what Tolbert and Hester's worth to the Chargers offense, we'll have to take a step back in time to the first player that made that position what it is today. That player is Daryl Johnston. If it wasn't for Daryl Johnston, there would be no FB vote in the Pro Bowl today. What he did was nothing short of extraordinary as he was one of the most dynamic players in the game. Dynamic, not versatile. People get those two words confused all the time. He wasn't lined up all over the place but what he did was pass-block, run-block, run with the ball, and catch the ball out of the backfield. That's dynamic. Why can I look at Daryl Johnston as a indication of what Tolbert and Hester can hopefully be? Because the one person that orchestrated the Cowboys offense in which Daryl Johnston flourished in is none other than the current Head Coach for the San Diego Chargers. Johnston was a ordinary FB during his first two years in the NFL. Turner came in and turned him into a viable weapon in the passing game or running game whether he's the runner, pass-catching receiver, or blocker. During Turner's time as the offensive coordinator, he installed his version of the Vertical Offense. Johnston had 54 yards rushing , averaging 3.2 yards per carry, and 28 receptions for 244 yards in his first season. During his second season, he improved in the new offense with 61 yards rushing, averaging 3.6 yards per carry, and 32 receptions for 249 yards. In his third season, he went on to have 74 rushing yards, averaging 3.1 yards per carry, and 50 receptions for 372 yards. He wasn't the main weapon on the Cowboys offense, but he was the person that made everyone better. He gave the QB extra time. He helped a young Emmitt Smith gained massive amounts of yardage in the running game. He helped the Cowboys move the ball in the passing game. These are the same attributes that can be found in both Tolbert and Hester for the San Diego Chargers. If you look at what they did in a combined effort in the FB position, you can see how Turner is using them to help the Chargers offense move the ball in much of the same way Turner helped the Cowboys move the ball. Both Tolbert and Hester been in the league for two seasons, all with the Chargers. Both Tolbert and Hester combined at the FB position had 132 yards rushing, averaging 4.1 yards per carry, and 25 receptions for 262 yards in their first season. In their second season together, Tolbert and Hester combined for 222 yards rushing, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, and 26 receptions for 216 yards. Now, you can see that the Chargers FB's play a important role on the team in being very dynamic. It gives the Chargers a lot more options during a game. Defenses might look at the RB, TE, and WR of the Chargers only to neglect their FB as a viable threat to keep the drive alive. This is what the FB's can do for the Chargers. It's still early in both Mike Tolbert and Jacob Hester's career, but after seeing what Daryl Johnston did in Turner's offense, I think it's safe to say that both Tolbert and Hester are just as much weapons to their team as Johnston was to his. What is the duplicate article? Why is this article offensive? Where is this article plagiarized from? Why is this article poorly edited?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/443070-daryl-johnston-understanding-roles-of-our-fbs-in-the-vertical-offense

January 13, 2010 Ken has yet to fill out a bio. Ken...I think I was telling Scotto to leave Brittney alone...But I don't have the conversation before me...so, I you will give me the exact quote< will have a better grasp of what was siad and/or meant...Okay..Thanks.. Go Blue Ken! Too bad the end didnt turn out the way we hoped, but it was a great run and an amazing feat for the program Hey Ken, Been a long time since I was on Bleacher Report. Now that Football season is starting I'll be on here more often and looking forward to your comments as usual. Anyway, good luck this Friday to your MSU team. I think they will crush Boise State!!! Go Green when they aren't playing my team and Go Blue!!!! Hi Ken, thanks for posting on my bulletin board. Sorry that I just saw this tonight. I'm not always following everything on BR these days. In any case, I've always enjoyed our trips to Michigan State. I have found the fans to be quite welcoming and friendly to Penn Staters, and the stadium atmosphere to be outstanding, albeit a bit tough to get up to that nosebleed section - 7 ramps! - where they put the away game fans these days. I also think that MSU's campus is one of the prettiest in the Big Ten. In any case I guess since now we are in different divisions we won't play one another quite as often. So when we do, it will be more special. I never hide my garb anywhere in the Big Ten, and have never really had a problem. But I understand why you go out of your way at Ohio State to hide the fact that you're from Michigan. Thanks for the message Ken. I think running those types of plays would be great. I think it's good too because it's not likely that there would be injuries to the QB. I think throwing in a play like that each quarter would be great as well. It would keep the defense honest and make passing and running plays easier for us. I think Having Denard throwing to Gardner, and Gardner throwing back to Denard on a screen would almost get a TD every time since Denard is so fast and elusive. Michigan looks great on paper. They have a ton of great players. I think they will do great under Coach Hoke and Mattison, however the schedule they play this year is brutal. If they can pull out wins on their road games, (@Nebraska, Alabama in Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Minnesota, and Purdue) then I think they will have a shot at another BCS bowl game and perhaps a chance at going to the Big Ten Championship game. I sure hope you're right about this being Michigan's year. I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Essay Writing Help|Research Paper Help|Essay Writers|Cheap Essays|Help Me Write An Essay|Custom Research Paper Online Help|Free Essays Online|Order An Essay Online|Buy Persuasive Essays Online|Admission Essays Writing Service Online I def dont think ur a bad guy, lol...i spent some time looking for that quote but ill def give ur friend a shout and get the scoop...lol....roll tide!! I thought you might want to check out "The Top 25 Title Odds" story. I think you'll get a kick out of my picks to make the finals. Ken... I fully and totally understand you not wanting me to have your email address. If you want to keep in touch through B/R that is fine with me. But, if you ever want to get in touch with me on a more personal level, you can always email me at firstname.lastname@example.org. It is a strange time in the world right now so I won't be upset in any way, shape, or form if you would rather keep in touch through B/R. Hell...it surely is easy enough and my email alerts me any time I get any kind of message from B/R. I may be wrong, but I consider you smart,and even though you are a fan of "little brother", I consider you a friend as well. I wish all of the people at B/R were like you and the handful of friends I have at B/R. I have a couple Michigan pals, a Wisconsin buddy, you, and about a dozen Buckeye friends although they aren't very bright for the most part and DO NOT have my email address. Hahahaha. Anyway...you are now my brother whether you like it or not (I call all men, "brother"... it is a Christian thing). And on a couple personal notes... I'm 38 years old. I was born in Dayton, Ohio, just like friggin Brady Hoke, and I have lived in the Orlando, Florida area for around 30 years. My birthday is on February, 25th so I turn 39 then, In keeping with "Things about Chris"... I am married with 2 daughters (12 and 9), but I have been separated for 7 years. I live with my girlfriend, Wendy, and her 2 children. Wendy's boy has Down's syndrome and is 28. Wendy's daughter is a senior in high school and is 18. We honestly have 26 cats (no joke). We took in a couple pregnant strays and then 8 months later we went from 12 cats to 38 cats. Since we would never let someone kill our pets, we take between 1 and 4 cats to the "no kill" animal shelter every 2 to 4 weeks. We also have 2 rabbits as we are animal lovers but the cats were an accident of sorts that our laziness made things bad. Wendy and I are both plumbers that specialize in total home re-piping. But since we are in a depression of sorts, Wendy has taken a job doing housekeeping at a nearby hotel and I am doing very little part-time plumbing just to barely get by. We used to make $1200 to $2500 each weekly for a four day week, but now we are living week to week. Times have been very tough to say the least. So, now you know about my family and me. I'm just a sports freak and not too much of a weirdo. You told me about your job so I went a bit overboard and told you nearly everything about me and us. Oh... one last thing... we are Christians but we aren't Bible banging freaks. You never have to worry about me getting upset about any words you speak. I'm just a normal dude that believes in Christ but I don't attend church or practice any funky rituals. I'm a weirdo, but I'm normal at the same time. Email me through B/R or through my regular email anytime you wish. Your emails and your sports views will always be taken in pleasure. Take care, brother, I hope to hear from you before the last game of the Big Ten basketball season. See ya.

http://bleacherreport.com/users/117415-ken-hammerick

June 3, 2010 January 25, 2010 November 2, 2009 September 27, 2009 A resident of Brooklyn, NY, Jake Rake is a graduate of the University of Maryland. His interests include baseball, rock 'n roll, and not feeling feelings. Jake is a contributor to The Onion, Mental Floss, Gelf, SNY's The Nooner and The Business Corporation, posts daily on JakeRake.com and hangs out like crazy. Cheer my buddy. We sell Levitra online. Visit us at Your last two "articles" are exactly why I left Bleacher Report...completely laughable. Sorry about slaming your Pete Rose article, but it was about the weakest argument made against a man who would have been in the HOF 17 years ago...had he not done himself in. Respectfully, your ignorance in this department doesn't speak well for UMass, either. your pete rose article is absolutely ridiculous, how can you seriously publish that and make an argument that he doesn't have HOF numbers? At least respond to comments if you make an outlandish, laughable argument I assure you this is the first link that I've posted on someone else's bulletin board... just wanted to let you know you're not the only ichiro-basher around, and I live in Seattle. I thought I'd get my 2 cents in. Your comments will be appreciated. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/226165-omar-minaya-chance-for-redemption I just came up with the list of the best current Major Leaguers wearing the numbers One thru Ten. I hope you can take a look and voice your opinion on my list. Thanks in advance, - Matthew Falkenbury I wrote a piece in May highlighting the position players that I thought should make the all star team. I started a 2-part follow up piece today focusing on starting pitchers. I started with AL. If you get the chance, I'd appreciate it if you took a look at it. Thanks Rays, Rocks preview check this out I think you may like it

http://bleacherreport.com/users/74414-jake-rake

St. Cloud Soldier Comes Home According to the Pioneer Press, 400 people and 217 motorcyles belonging to the patriot Guard Riders welcomed home Tony Larson as he arrived the St. Cloud Regional Aiprort from. He was injured 19 months ago by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The Star Tribune reports that doctors had tried to save Larson's leg, but after it became infected, the bottom portion of it had to be amputated. Larson spent an extended stay recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cice0003/3101news/2007/04/st_cloud_soldier_comes_home.html

The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Sacramento Kings at 7 tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W Reno. The game will air on Fox Sports Oklahoma. If you catch the game on TV, you might just see “Thunder in Motion,” the cool new commercial spot talented local filmmaker Kyle Roberts produced for The Oklahoman and NewsOK. He composed the ad by animating still photos taken by our excellent photographers. Also, you might get to see the cool NBA Christmas Day Big Color Jerseys ad featuring OKC’s own Russell Westbrook along with fellow league stars Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Joe Johnson and Dwayne Wade.

http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2012/12/14/video-russell-westbrook-and-thunder-featured-in-amazing-thunder-in-motion-nba-christmas-ads/

It isn’t the bitterest of Georgia’s football rivalries. Just the oldest and most competitive. Georgia and Auburn first played in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park in 1892. They have played 113 times since then. Auburn has won 53. Georgia has won 52. They have tied eight. So, if Georgia were to win this year’s meeting at Auburn on Saturday, the Deep South’s oldest college-football rivalry would pull completely even at 53-53-8. After all these games, all these years, only 56 points separate the teams. Georgia has scored 1,778 and Auburn 1,722. The average score in their meetings is 15.7-15.2. “I think that as we go on during the week the younger guys will get a better picture of what this rivalry is and has been over the years and what it’s meant,” Auburn coach Gene Chizik said Sunday. “It’s just a great rivalry. It’s what college football is all about.” At 113 games, the Georgia-Auburn series is older than Georgia-Georgia Tech (102 games) and Auburn-Alabama (74 games). Georgia has won the past four meetings, the Bulldogs’ longest winning streak in the series since the 1940s. As Chizik mentioned Sunday, no current Auburn player has experienced a win over Georgia. Over the years, it has been a curious series in that the road team has won more often than the home team. Georgia has an all-time record of 14-9-2 in games played at Auburn, while the Tigers have an 18-11 record in Athens. The series was mostly played at neutral sites from 1892 through 1958. Another quirk in the Georgia-Auburn series in recent years is that the lower-ranked team has found disproportionate success. Neither team was ranked entering last year’s game, but the lower-ranked or unranked team has won seven of the past 13 meetings when one or both teams were ranked. As you know, Auburn will go into Saturday’s game ranked No. 2 in the nation and Georgia unranked. In the last meeting of a ranked Auburn vs. an unranked Georgia, the Bulldogs upset the No. 5 Tigers 37-15 in 2006 at Auburn.

http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2010/11/08/georgia-auburn-its-what-college-football-is-all-about-chizik-says/?cp=2

- Backhand Talk - http://blogs.app.com/tennis - Nadal withdraws from U.S. Open Posted By Carol J. Kelly On August 15, 2012 @ 7:49 pm In Uncategorized | 49 Comments First Rafa Nadal skipped the Olympics because of a knee injury. Then he announced he was withdrawing from Cincinnati. And, in a statement today, Nadal said he won’t be able to compete in the last slam of the year — the U.S. Open. How serious is his knee injury? Is it possible he won’t show up until 2013, asks Jon Wertheim . Who would benefit most from his absence? Murray, Federer or Djokovic? For local, national and international updates, follow me on Twitter @cjkel: Article printed from Backhand Talk: http://blogs.app.com/tennis URL to article: http://blogs.app.com/tennis/2012/08/15/nadal-withdraws-from-u-s-open/ URLs in this post: Jon Wertheim: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120815/rafael-nadal-mailbag/ Copyright © 2010 Back(hand) Talk. All rights reserved.

http://blogs.app.com/tennis/2012/08/15/nadal-withdraws-from-u-s-open/print/

By Tim Graham When the Buffalo Bills rebooted their operations in January, a point of emphasis was the creation of an analytics department. While no details have been divulged on how the Bills will implement analytics, a common usage around the league is in determining contract values. ProFootballFocus.com, one of the most popular analytics sites, has applied its metrics to the Bills' 2012 roster to determine who underperformed and outperformed their salary-cap figures last year. You can check out PFF for its explanation of each player, but here are the lists: - 1. Jairus Byrd, safety - 2. C.J. Spiller, running back - 3. Andy Levitre, left guard - 4. Kyle Williams, defensive tackle - 5. Alex Carrington, defensive tackle - 6. George Wilson, safety - 7. Nick Barnett, linebacker - 8. Scott Chandler, tight end - 9. Bryan Scott, linebacker - 10. Cordy Glenn, left tackle - 1. Mario Williams, defensive end - 2. Chris Kelsay, defensive end - 3. Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback - 4. Brad Smith, wide receiver - 5. Terrence McGee, cornerback - 6. Spencer Johnson, defensive tackle - 7. Mark Anderson, defensive end - 8. Tyler Thigpen, quarterback - 9. Erik Pears, right tackle - 10. Shawne Merriman, defensive end The Bills already have released two of the PFF's 10 most undervalued players (Barnett and Wilson). Byrd, Levitre and Scott could become unrestricted free agents in a couple weeks. From the overvalued list, the Bills have dumped McGee. Kelsay announced his retirement Wednesday night. From the free agents on the list, we safely can assume Thigpen won't be back, Merriman's probably a goner and Johnson isn't worth re-signing. tagged2013 free agency | Alex Carrington | Andy Levitre | Brad Smith | C.J. Spiller | Chris Kelsay | Cordy Glenn | Erik Pears | George Wilson | Jairus Byrd | Kyle Williams | Mario Williams | Mark Anderson | Nick Barnett | Ryan Fitzpatrick | Scott Chandler | Shawne Merriman | Spencer Johnson | Terrence McGee | Tyler Thigpen

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/press-coverage/2013/02/pff-analytics-show-overvalued-undervalued-bills-for-2012.html

Jupiter Christian football to play 2011 home games at John I. Leonard Highby Matt Porter The latest home for Jupiter Christian football is in the middle of Palm Beach County. The small Jupiter private school, which lacks an on-campus football field, will play its three home games at John I. Leonard High in Greenacres. Jupiter Christian Athletic Director Scott Loud said his school reached a one-year agreement with John I. Leonard after failing to come to agreements with several schools closer to home. The first game will be against district rival Glades Day at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. The two schools have faced each other in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and met at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter for last year’s Class 1B regional final. Loud said his school considered a rematch at Roger Dean Stadium, but uncertainty in forecasting ticket sales forced it to look elsewhere. The other two home games will be Friday, Oct. 14 against Pompano Beach-Highlands Christian and Friday, Nov. 4 against Coral Springs Christian. Both will start at 7 p.m. John I. Leonard’s location may help overall attendance for the three games. John I. Leonard is approximately a 40-minute drive from Jupiter Christian, Pompano Beach-Highlands Christian, Coral Springs Christian and a little more than 50 minutes from Glades Day. Since forming a program in 2002, Jupiter Christian also has played home games at Dwyer in Palm Beach Gardens, Benjamin’s upper school in Palm Beach Gardens and lower school in North Palm Beach, King’s Academy in West Palm Beach and most recently, South Fork High in Stuart.

http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/highschoolbuzz/2011/08/01/jupiter-christian-football-to-play-2011-home-games-at-john-i-leonard-high/

Air Canada Threatens to Withdraw NHL Sponsorship Over Headshots According to a report from Bruce Garrioch of QMI Agency, Air Canada issued a threat to withdraw its sponsorship of the NHL if the league doesn’t take “immediate” and “serious” action against headshots. In a letter to Gary Bettman, Denis Vandal, Air Canada’s director of marketing/communications, voiced the company’s concerns over the rising number of violent incidents in the NHL and Zdeno Chara’s hit on Max Pacioretty specifically. “From a corporate social responsibility standpoint, it is becoming increasingly difficult to associate our brand with sports events which could lead to serious and irresponsible accidents; action must be taken by the NHL before we are encountered with a fatality. “Unless the NHL takes immediate action with serious suspension to the players in question to curtail these life-threatening injuries, Air Canada will withdraw its sponsorship of hockey.” Air Canada owns the naming rights to the Toronto Maple Leafs home arena as well as providing sponsorship to all six Canadian teams, according to Garrioch’s report. It’s hard to disagree with the message that Air Canada is trying to put across here, but their execution leaves something to be desired. Some influential members of the hockey media sphere were quick to brush this off as little more than a PR stunt via Twitter, and some took an even more cynical approach and deemed the Montreal based corporation’s tactic as hometown heroism. Like they say, if you really want to something to change then you best do something about it. Air Canada’s threat has the right message, but it’s awfully difficult to envision the NHL taking it seriously. Chara Hit to be Investigated by Police Via a story at CBCSports, Radio-Canada has reported that “Quebec’s director of criminal and penal prosecutions, Louis Dionne, has asked police to begin gathering evidence to help prosecutors determine if charges should be laid against Zdeno Chara”. The result of the hit was a terrible misfortune, but this is getting ridiculous. Max Pacioretty spoke to TSN’s Bob McKenzie regarding the NHL’s lack of discipline on Zdeno Chara. Via Habs Inside/Out: “I am upset and disgusted that the league didn’t think enough of (the hit) to suspend him,” Pacioretty told TSN. “I’m not mad for myself, I’m mad because if other players see a hit like that and think it’s okay, they won’t be suspended, then other players will get hurt like I got hurt. “It’s been an emotional day. I saw the video for the first time this morning. You see the hit, I’ve got a fractured vertebrae, I’m in hospital and I thought the league would do something, a little something,” said Pacioretty. “I’m not talking a big number, I don’t know, one game, two games, three games…whatever, but something to show that it’s not right. “I heard (Chara) said he didn’t mean to do it. I felt he did mean to do it. I would feel better if he said he made a mistake and that he was sorry for doing that, I could forgive that, but I guess he’s talking about how I jumped up or something.” This is Not a Zdeno Chara/Max Pacioretty Story Martin St. Louis scored a beauty of a shootout winner, but was it legal? Pens Extend Bylsma If you’ve developed a non-sexual man crush on Dan Bylsma since viewing 24/7: Penguins/Capitals, you’re not alone. The Pittsburgh Penguins locked up their coach with a three-year extension on Wednesday. Disco Dan will be at the helm through the 2013-14 season, assuming all goes well in the ‘Burgh. Ellis’ Stick Save Leads to Ducks Goal I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription… is more knuckle puck!

http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2011/03/10/the-dump-and-chase-03102011/

Cashman bows out on big-money outfielders Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said on Tuesday that a big-money outfielder does not fit into his budget plan for 2010, a statement which would effectively take New York out of the running for a player like Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. “I will continue to look at any remaining piece, but it won’t be a big piece,” Cashman said, on a conference call to discuss the Javier Vazquez trade. “Any speculation about some high-end player who has big ability and dollars attached on a large scale would be inappropriate.” If the season started today, the Yankees’ outfield would be comprised of Brett Gardner and Jamie Hoffmann in left field, Curtis Granderson in center field and Nick Swisher in right field.

http://bombersbeat.mlblogs.com/2009/12/22/cashman-bows-out-on-big-money-outfielders/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=183385b0b7

Media Monday: Spring Training Begins Throughout the season we will have features that we run each day of the week, one of them will be Media Monday. We hope to bring you all the best pictures, audio, and video (where allowed by MLB) from the past week. Obviously everyone is very excited about Spring training getting underway, please enjoy the content below. On Deck – Daily reports and opinion pieces from Spring Training. Games start on March 4th, we will have game recaps, previews, and lots of media. Stay tuned to the blog, thanks for reading. - George Cotugno

http://bornonthird.mlblogs.com/2012/02/20/media-monday-spring-training-begins/

Bears Tie Clarkson, 3-3, Finish in Fifth Place in the ECAC March 1, 2003 PROVIDENCE, RI - Sophomore Gerry Burke (Milton, MA) scored the game-tying goal with 8:06 remaining in the game, while junior Yann Danis (Saint-Jerome, QUE) stopped 46 shots as Brown (12-11-5, 10-8-4) and Clarkson (12-18-3, 9-10-3) skated to a 3-3 tie, the second tie in a row for both teams, in an ECAC men,s ice hockey contest Saturday evening at Meehan Auditorium. The Golden Knights took a 2-0 lead into the second period after scoring two goals in a span of 1:30, with a power-play goal at 12:31 and an even strength goal at 14:01. With the Bears still trailing 2-0 late in the first period, junior Brent Robinson (Pointe Claire, QUE) and sophomore Chris Swon (Mendham, NJ) combined for a two-on-one rush, but Clarkson,s Mike Walsh saved Swon,s scoring attempt, keeping Brown off the board. The Bears got on the board just 4:34 into the second period with a power-play goal of their own, cutting into Clarkson,s lead. Senior Paul Esdale (Edmonton, ALB) sent the puck to junior Scott Ford (Fort St. John, BC) at the right point. Ford ripped a slap-shot to the left pst and sophomore Les Haggett (Norwood, NY) tipped the puck in for his 12th goal of the season. The Bears started the third period with 2:48 remaining on a Keith Kirley (Leverett, MA) five minute penalty and came 17 seconds shy of successfully killing the penalty when Clarkson took a 3-1 lead with a goal just 2:31 into the final period. Brown continued to fight and played its second overtime game in a row, scoring the game,s final two goals to earn the point. Swon started the comeback with a power-play goal at 7:07 of the period. Haggett won the face-off back to Ford on the left point. Ford fired a slap-shot that went to the right of the net and Swon lefted the puck into the partially open net for his second goal of the season. With momentum picking up for both teams, Burke scored his second goal of the season to knot the game at 3-3 with 8:06 left to play. Juniors Pascal Denis (Magog, QUE) and Shane Mudryk (Leduc, ALB) took two quick shots on Walsh but the rebound kicked out to Burke on the left point. His slap-shot made its way through three Clarkson defenders along with Walsh and into the back of the net as the Bears salvaged one point. The two teams played a scoreless overtime with Danis stopping four of his 46 shots in overtime and Walsh making one save for the Golden Knights, finishing the game with 26. With the tie, Brown finishes the season in fifth place with 24 points. The Bears will host 12th place Princeton in a best-of-three series next weekend in Meehan Auditorium. All games begin at 7:00 p.m., Friday, Saturday, and if needed, Sunday. CLARKSON 2 0 1 0 - 3 BROWN 0 1 2 0 -- 3 First period - C (PPG), Matt Syroczynski (Tristan Lush, Chris Bahen), 12:31; C, Randy Jones (Mac Faulkner), 14:01. Penalties - BR, 2-4; C, 1-2. Third period - C (PPG), Chris Blight (Tristan Lush, Dave Reid), 2:31; B (PPG), Chris Swon (Scott Ford, Les Haggett), 7:07; B, Gerry Burke (Pascal Denis, Shane Mudryk), 11:54. Penalties - BR, 0-0; C, 1-2. Overtime - No Scoring. No Penalties. BR, Yann Danis, 12-13-16-5 - 46 (65:00); C, Mike Walsh, 9-5-11-1 - 26 (65:00). Records - BR, 12-11-5, 10-8-4; C, 12-18-3, 9-10-3. Attendance - 1,104 (Meehan Auditorium).

http://brownbears.com/sports/m-hockey/recaps/030103aaa.html

Red Sox remembrances of 9/11 It is a day none of us will ever forget. Here is what the Red Sox remember. The Red Sox were in New York getting ready to face Roger Clemens the night of 9/10, but that game was rained out, enabling the team to fly to Tampa a little earlier than planned for their series that was scheduled to begin in St. Petersburg — ironically where the Sox are right now — on 9/11/01. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield: “[My girlfriend and now wife Stacy] was actually in New York with me. She got out because we got rained out. She got the last flight out and beat me [to Tampa] so when we got in at 4 in the morning, she was already sleeping. She was up when all this was taking place and woke me up and said, ‘hey, you need to wake up.’ I started watching it and like 10 minutes later, we saw the second plane hit and we were like, ‘oh god, something bad is happening right now.”’ “To watch stuff on television now, the documentaries about how everything unfolded and how whoever was in charge of grounding all the airplanes made the hardest, right decision anyone could have made. Knowing it would costs the airlines millions and millions of dollars if they stopped all flights immediately, they’d have to ground the planes and all the passengers would have to switch flights. That’s when they found out about United 93. The game was meaningless [compared to what was going on] but we needed to get back playing.” Wakefield on Ground Zero: “In 2002, I drove by. I took a cab and jus drove by. I didn’t want to get out. in ’05, we went and opened the stock market, me, trot and somebody else, we rang the bell at the American Stock Exchange. We went to somebody’s office that overlooked Ground Zero. He was part of that whole thing. He kept telling us how the building was shaking and all that stuff. The chaos.” Jason Varitek was out for the remainder of 2001 with a fractured right elbow. “Actually I didn’t arrive in Tampa. I was on the DL, I was in rehab. I actually arrived that morning to rehab when it all happened. It’s like, once you realize what happened, everybody dropped what they were doing and took off and left.” “There’s a heightened awareness to everything that goes on around you for one. Appreciation for the people that tried to save lives and to do those things and you reach out to those people who have lost family, friends, etc., in the most tragic thing that’s ever happened here.” Jacoby Ellsbury, now an All-Star and an MVP candidate, turned 18 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. He was a junior at Madras (Oregon) High School. “I just remember going to school and waking up that morning and hearing something happened. At school, we turned on all the TV’s and saw everything unfold. At the beginning, I don’t think anyone really knew what was going on. But yeah, I just remember watching things unfold from Madras (ore.) High. I was on my way to school when I kind of heard everything. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years.” The 2001 season was basically the only year of Terry Francona’s youth or adult life that he wasn’t wearing a baseball uniform. Francona was a scout for the Indians in 2001, and was on assignment in Pittsburgh when the terrorist attacks happened. His best friend Brad Mills was also scouting for the Cubs at that time, and was in Pittsburgh, at the same hotel as Francona when everything happened. “I was in Pittsburgh scouting and coincidentally Millsy was scouting for the Cubs. He was advancing. He was upstairs in the concierge room because he never pays for coffee. So he called me and he was like, ‘hey, you need to come up here, man. I went upstairs and I sat there with him. Kind of watched it and then rented a car and drove back to Philly because obviously there weren’t going to be games. I remember driving by Shanksville (Pennsylvania) on the turnpike. The exit was closed. I remember being glad I was with Millsy. Times like that, it’s nice to have maybe your best friend in the whole world with you.” Francona is glad that soldiers can take some enjoyment out of being around baseball: “I hope it does. If you like baseball, I don’t know that it matters what you do. obviously I hope what we do, people get enjoyment out of it. I think it’s cool that they bring soldiers and people like that around and they honor them at the ballparks. I think everybody enjoys that. I think it’s a really neat thing. If they get some enjoyment out of what we’re doing, that’s terrific.” Of course, perhaps nobody affiliated with the Red Sox had a more compelling 9/11 story than Trot Nixon, whose wife Kathryn gave birth to the couple’s first son on 9/11/01. Today, Chase Nixon turned 10 years old. Here is an in-depth story I did with Trot and Kathryn back in 2002.

http://browniepoints.mlblogs.com/2011/09/11/red-sox-remembrances-of-911/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=20ee2ea151

The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) has selected the University of Notre Dame as lead academic sponsor for the 2010 Conference & Career Expo. The conference will take place in Chicago on October 21 - 23, 2010 and expects to draw over 8,000 Hispanic MBA professionals, students and academics, and more than 300 companies who embrace diversity and seek the best talent. Although the competition was close, the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame was chosen based on its long-standing commitment to the Hispanic community and tradition of supporting diversity. 'It is inspiring when two great organizations can come together to support a common goal,' said Lourdes M. Hassler, NSHMBA CEO. 'The Mendoza College and NSHMBA have similar goals to develop diverse business leaders that will make a positive difference in their professional and civic lives, while inspiring others to pursue their dreams of higher education.' 'We have matching missions,' said Carolyn Woo, Martin J. Gillen Dean of the Mendoza College of Business. 'Both the Mendoza College and NSHMBA seek to develop business leaders who have a concern for the greater good of society as well as their organizations. The conference is an exciting opportunity for us to support their vision.' As lead academic sponsor, the Mendoza College will host NSHMBA's corporate Advisory Board meeting, provide conference speakers and organize clinics in job-seeking skills during the conference. NSHMBA planners have already seen an increased demand in corporate participation in anticipation of this strong partnering. For more information on corporate and academic sponsorship, please contact the National Society of Hispanic MBAs at 1-877-467-4622. About theNotre Dame MBA: The Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame offers one-year and two-year MBA programs. Both programs feature immersions in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Through 'live case' classroom experiences, students analyze, investigate and offer solutions for real-life problems presented by executives from some of the largest global organizations, including Coca-Cola, GE, Hewlett-Packard and OfficeMax. The program ranked No. 5 on the Aspen Institute's Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial ranking and survey of top U.S. business schools' incorporation of social and environmental stewardship into their curricula and research. BusinessWeek's 'The Best B-Schools MBA Programs (2006)' rated the Notre Dame MBA as No. 26 among the top 30 programs and No. 6 in fastest return on investment. The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) was created in 1988 as a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. Widely known as the 'Premier Hispanic Organization,' NSHMBA serves 32 chapters and 8,000 members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It exists to foster Hispanic leadership through graduate management education and professional development. NSHMBA works to prepare Hispanics for leadership positions throughout the U.S., so that they can provide the cultural awareness and sensitivity vital in the management of the nation's diverse workforce.

http://business.nd.edu/management/departmental_news_and_events_article.aspx?id=1143

There are good reasons why Commissioner Gary Bettman is hesitant to tell the the NHLPA, IOC and IIHF head Rene Fasel "yes". Between shutting down the regular season for three weeks to not being able to broadcast highlights thanks to the IOC's strict licensing rules to praying no one gets injured, there's a lot to be concerned with from the league's side. Oh, not making any money off things is a sticking point as well. Factor in unattractive time zones for Sochi and Pyeongchang, South Korea, the host in 2018, for television and enter the World Cup of Hockey. The tournament hasn't been played since the summer of 2004, but every time the idea of its revival is brought up it's welcomed with opened arms because it's something that the NHL and the NHLPA can control and most importantly, generate revenue with. While in every discussion since 2004 -- our final glimpse of hockey before the last lockout began -- has slotted in a World Cup in its typical late-August/early-September slot on the calendar, there's a chance that it could be moved to fill in dates in future Februarys in non-Olympic years. A reborn World Cup, however, would be profoundly different, with the tournament played at prime time for television as well as prime time for hockey — February of every fourth year, alternating with the Olympic Winter Games so hockey fans would have a major international tournament every second year. "We've had those discussions informally," confirmed Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson, who personally supports the initiative. "It's all about growing all facets of the game." The IIHF is reviewing its championship structure and working on a 10-to-12-year plan that is roughly modelled on FIFA (soccer's world governing body) and aimed at increasing international interest in hockey. There's been a lot of support for a return of a hockey World Cup. The tournament was rumored to made a comeback in 2011, but never materialized. In 2010, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke penned an editorial saying it's a no-brainer' for everyone involved. Even as late as this past June Bettman expressed interest. NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr has brought it up in the past. Right now it's not a question about whether or not a World Cup of Hockey will return, it's when. Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/just-matter-time-return-world-cup-hockey-145227327--nhl.html

April 18/06 10:19 am - MTB Canada Cup #3 Information Posted by Editoress on 04/18/06 Sport Swap Canada Cup at Hardwood Hills Courtesy Glenn Meeuwisse, Hardwood Hills Cross Country Ski and Mountain Bike Center Registration and full event details are now posted for the 2006 Sport Swap Canada Cup. Hardwood Hills is proud to host its 11th annual Canada Cup, and welcomes Sport Swap as the Title Sponsor. The 2006 event will be the focus of many racers as it will be used for many levels for points and qualification. The Canada Cup is key in selection for the MTB National Team; it is an UCI E2 international point‚s event, a Silver National Ranking event, and Platinum Ontario Cup point‚s race. Full event details and on-line registration are available at www.hardwoodhills.ca

http://canadiancyclist.com/dailynews.php?id=10418

Last week a couple of us Canadian Online Gamer staffers were invited to EA Canada to attend the annual EA Sports open house. It was two days of sports games, and one of those games was FIFA 13. We had an opportunity to preview the game for the first time back in April and you can check out that in-depth write-up HERE. Since our first preview EA Sports has continued to work on FIFA 13 in preparation for its launch later this year. We were treated to a recap of what was discussed back in April and how the FIFA development team continues to move forward. Of course one of the biggest things that was reinforced was that they wanted to continue to make the game “predictably unpredictable”. In other words, they want the user to experience that anything can happen and no single result is guaranteed when playing a match in FIFA 13. One of the new things discussed was the FIFA 13’s social network. They will be offering a virtual rewards program including the EA Sports Football Club Catalogue. Here you can unlock boots, balls, kits, and even unlock other play modes. This rewards program, which is engrained into the game’s social network, continues to highlight EA Sports mantra of “Always Connected”. Of interest to you FIFA 12 online gamers is that your level and XP from FIFA 12 will be carried over to FIFA 13 and you can continue to earn more as you play FIFA 13. This is a nice little touch as it allows you diehard FIFA 12 online players to keep what you have already earned, and you won’t have to start from scratch. One of the big FIFA 13 unveils that we were treated to during the open house was a brand new Career Mode. Santiago Jaramillo, who is a Game Modes Producer on the title, told us that one of the biggest requests that gamers have is to allow them to play for a club and country of their own choice. In FIFA 13’s career mode a focus on Internationals is now a key gameplay item as their wish has been granted. As you play through your career mode you can now play all international friendlies, and you can play in the Euro Championship, World Championship, or any championship that is available to your club. It is something that has been requested for quite a long time, and now you have the opportunity to do this. It was also mentioned that the international matches that will be made available to you is dependent on the prestige and success level of your club of choice. As you “Play as a Player” you will find that there is a fair amount of depth in your management of your team. Something that was highlighted here is that club loans now play a big role. Should you start your career on a high profile team, and your skill level is not that high, you will be “loaned out”, with the hope that you become a better player, and then returned to your club at a later time. Should you turn down a loan offer you risk not being proposed a new loan offer from another team for an extended period of time (virtually speaking of course). It is truly a management based experience and something a lot of FIFA fans should appreciate. Another feature that has been improved during the Career Mode is transfers. This aspect has been worked on to make it a more lifelike experience. The development team has re-written the transfer logic and made things more true to what would happen in real life experiences. You’ll find true market value, counter offers, as well as player & cash transactions. It was quite amazing to see how the game is going to make things seem more true to what actually happens in the various soccer leagues, and you’ll have to put your “thinking cap” on more then a few times in order to make some smart decisions in this area. Aaron McHardy, who is a Gameplay Producer, came on stage to introduce all of us to something new, and something I think is very much needed in a game like FIFA 13: Skill Games. These skill games are tutorials that allow any level of user to learn, or master, the FIFA fundamentals. Given they are games, they are fun. There are 8 disciplines for you to learn, and there are 4 types of games within each discipline. At this juncture in the game’s development there are a total of 32 different games for you to play, and they all allow you how to play the game at various levels of skill. The four different skill levels (bronze, silver, gold and skill challenge) gradually teach you the intricacies of each discipline, such as passing, shooting, crossing, dribbling, corner kicks, etc. They become progressively harder for each level. These games also have leaderboards and XP as well, so you can compete against friends or worldwide leaders, and you’ll earn in-game XP. We had a chance to play a few of these Skill Games and I have to say that they are something that is not only welcomed, but also in a way needed. They really do start out with the basics of each discipline and as you progress through the skill levels you will learn how to do more complex things. I had fun learning the basics and slowly being introduced to the more complex moves which adds modifiers (other button presses) the mix. This is a great thing for rookies to the series as well as for those fans of the franchise who have yet to master all the disciplines in the game as they are not just tutorials, but skill games that are a quite fun. Overall we continue to be impressed with the strides being made as the development of FIFA 13 continues, as each time we play the game, I have to say that I get a bit more excited for what looks to be another solid entry into this long running franchise. Keep your eyes here on COG as we continue to get more opportunities to play FIFA 13 leading up to the release this September. Until then feel free to check out the screenshots below showing a bit of everything, including the new modes mentioned in this article.

http://canadianonlinegamers.com/preview/fifa-13-hands-on-preview-career-mode-and-skill-games/

The Columbus Blue Jackets are finding some comfort at home. Matt Calvert scored on an outstanding individual effort with 57 seconds remaining in overtime to give Columbus a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena. Calvert took the puck in his own zone, performed a 360-spin in the neutral zone to avoid Henrik Sedin, then battled through Alex Edler on a chip-in before skating between the circles and lifting a wrist shot over Cory Schneider's glove for the game-winner. "It was kind of a broken play off the start," Calvert said. "I got the puck by the D-man and then I saw some open ice in the middle, so I went there and saw an opening high glove side. I raised the puck and luckily it went in." Columbus has won three in a row at home after winning once while playing seven of eight on the road. The Blue Jackets are 4-0-1 in their past five home games. This was the ninth straight one-goal game for the Blue Jackets and the fifth straight that went past regulation. "We had some tough losses early on, some games where we felt like we were so close to getting the result we wanted," Calvert said. "As hard as it is to persevere through that stretch, you always have to believe that games like this are on the other side. "When you taste a close win after so many close losses, it's so much sweeter." Vancouver has lost five of its past six games (1-3-2). "You would like to think it's just one of those times in a season where things aren't going right for you, but I think there's still things we need to sharpen up on, clearly," Canucks forward Chris Higgins said. "One goal's not going to get the win on too many nights." Columbus scored first off a very effective cycle by Nick Foligno, Ryan Johansen and R.J Umberger. Foligno went hard behind the net and his wraparound attempt came off the far, left post, where Umberger was waiting to slide it in 11:33 into the game. "Our team is just being resilient," Johansen said. "We just keep grinding away and it's really showed in the last four games or so where we picked up points. We just have to keep rolling now." Vancouver tied it 1:05 into the third period. Canucks defenseman Jason Garrison made an aggressive pinch and wheeled the puck behind the net, winding up on Dan Hamhuis' stick at the point. Hamhuis' low shot deflected off a skate to Sedin at the left post, and he lifted a shot into the center of the net over Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped the other 34 shots he faced. "[Bobrovsky] played a really solid game, and their team worked extremely hard in front of him," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. "We were down by a goal after the second period. This is not an easy league to come back in, and we were able to tie it." The Blue Jackets killed the one power play they faced, and have denied 18 in a row. "Our penalty kill has been doing a great job when they have to step up," Johansen said. "That's definitely been a big part of our success." Columbus forward Derek Dorsett went hard into the net early in the first period and suffered a fractured clavicle, according to the team. He's expected to miss the rest of the season. Material from team media and wire services was used in this report

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2012020345

Through the Plexi-Glass: Can You Pump Tires in a Goalie Graveyard? As I was coming home from the game and gazed at my twitter feed, I saw of a lot of “Trade Luongo!” and a lot of panicking over a just under .500 record for the first few games of the regular season. Mostly, it was all about how Luongo lost the game for the Canucks and it was entirely his fault. So I’ve taken it upon myself to do some proverbial ‘pumping of tires’. Why you all ask? Simple, I have a good memory of how dreadful goaltending was in this city before the likes of Roberto Luongo. As I stated in my tweet: @Aviewfromabroad “Problem isn’t #Luongo . Problem is the wanna-be fans that bought into the “2nd coming” hype that was built about him. #Takeaccountability” I never bought into the whole “LuonGod” hype. He is a good goalie, but at the same time, he was still just a human who will have his bad days like you or I. Unfortunately for Luongo, he is now in a market that actually gives a hoot of how he performs on the ice instead of about 4500 fans in Miami. I also understand the whole “with the position comes the scrutiny” baggage but when the baggage is more like the cargo space of a 747, how is one supposed to ‘carry’ all that without some self-doubt? It’s close to impossible, regardless of talent level. I’m not trying to psycho-babble you all the death, I’m just saying that perhaps instead of jumping on Lu’s case constantly, take a step back and let him breathe. For me, I want to give Luongo some time to prove himself. It is a new season after all. Although for some, this just a continuation of all the bad games Luongo has played as a Canuck. I want him to build up some confidence that has seemingly been lost and play like a machine more often than not. So far in this very young season, he’s not been great. To help him out as a fan, I thought it would be a good idea for me to “pump his tires” because despite all the hype and the bashing, I would rather have Roberto Luongo (as is) than Dan Cloutier, Corey Hirsch, Alfie Michaud, Troy Gamble, Petr Skudra, Bob Essensa, Kevin Weekes, Felix Potvin etc. etc. etc. Why, do some of you ask? I’ve seen awful, and it has been far worse than Roberto Luongo. For those of you that don’t recognize some of those names, it’s because they didn’t last very long in this market. Let’s take Petr Skudra for example. He was one of Dan Cloutier’s backups. Did you know an angry fan actually used his name as an auction item on eBay? The description was to the effect of a Canucks’ back up goaltender, with a big five hole and no glove. The starting bid was $1 CAD. I’m not sure if anyone ever even made a bid, but it was at the time, quite amusing. Oddly enough, I am waiting for some know-it-all ‘fan’ to put Luongo up for auction on eBay with the description of “Vezina nominated, gold medal winning goalie that can’t please a fan base no matter what he does”. I’d at least start the bidding at $5…out of ‘respect’ of course. It’s good to know that I am not the only one out there that feels Luongo is getting too much heat. However, I believe he can and should be better, but I’m not going to go off demanding Mike Gillis and his management and coaching staff try to trade him immediately. The thing is, I have this belief (and statistical history to back it up) that Luongo will pull it together sooner than later. Here are some from the twitterverse that feel the same way after the 4-0 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday Night: - @lyteforce: If Luongo were to reverse global warming, people would blame him for it being too cold. #Canucks #lousfault - @patersonjeff: Can dump on #Canucks goaltending, but how about forwards who have 1 even strength goal in last 10 periods. That don’t cut it - @j_carpenter_What difference does it make? if Luongo lets in 1 goal or 4..If the #Canucks dont score any they’re not gonna win..They will pull it together - @bobcam27-Luongo sure was terrible on the power play tonight. I don’t remember him getting a single shot on goal. #Canucks We’re all good at playing ‘arm-chair’ GM from time to time, and I certainly will be the first to admit I do it as well, but how many times do so many of us have to put out virtual trades with the involvement of Roberto Luongo in them? How about we trade those guys that aren’t scoring? How about we trade the whole blue line? I guess because it’s easier to blame the goaltender, and particularly, Roberto Luongo. I’m asking you for a 20 game grace period to stop. Please. For the next few games that Luongo plays, instead of going “Trade Luongo!”, perhaps a little encouragement might help. The power of positivity is a pretty cool thing, even though I’m not a big time New Age follower, there is truth in it. I don’t mind ‘pumping Roberto’s tires’ more often than not, a pumped tire usually gets you further ahead. Not to mention, it sucks to run on a flat. Besides, if you leave it deflated too long, it might just damage the rim and you’ll have to replace the whole wheel. That’s how I see things…through the plexi-glass.

http://canuckscorner.com/2011/10/19/through-the-plexi-glass-can-you-pump-tires-in-a-goalie-graveyard/

Cubs looking to upgrade offense GM Hendry seeking lefty slugger to balance out lineup CHICAGO -- Cubs general manager Jim Hendry heads to the Winter Meetings with a much shorter wish list than a year ago, but that doesn't mean he'll have more time to visit the Grand Ole Opry Resort in Nashville, Tenn. In 2006, the Cubs were one of the most active teams in the offseason, spending $300 million in signing free agents Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, Mark DeRosa and Daryle Ward. The overhaul was necessary after a 96-loss '06 season. The meetings also showed how hard Hendry works. He completed the Lilly deal while undergoing an EKG at an Orlando, Fla., hospital, and then underwent an angioplasty that night. Hendry, who changed his eating habits and upped his exercise routine since then, is hoping the team makes headlines, not him. The Cubs won the National League Central title in the first season under manager Lou Piniella, and head to Nashville for the Winter Meetings, which begin Monday, with far fewer holes to fill. At the top of the list is finding a left-handed power hitter to complement the very right-handed lineup, which includes Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee. There's an opening in right field following the trade of Jacque Jones to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Omar Infante. "Our initial moves, as we cleared our deck a little after the season, clearly show we'll go after a quality left-handed-hitting outfielder, either in the free-agent world or through a trade," Hendry said. "We'd also like to add some left-handed hitting on the bench or in a versatile role. "We don't have a lot of moves, but we feel the moves we need to make are just as important as the moves we made last year," he added. "We have some inventory on the 40-man roster and we'll be prepared to make a significant trade if it comes our way with the inventory. We'll grind it out every offseason like we usually do and go to camp with a better club than last season." The Cubs took care of one of the offseason priorities on Monday, when they signed Kerry Wood to a one-year, $4.2 million contract. Wood will compete with Bob Howry and Carlos Marmol for the closer's role, vacated by Ryan Dempster's move to the rotation. Wood compiled a 3.33 ERA in 20 relief appearances in 2007 and received several multiyear offers from other teams. "Chicago's home, and that's where I want to be, and that's where I call home," Wood said about his decision to stay. "It was a pretty easy decision. Chicago's been great to me, and I think it's the place I want to stay and win." The Cubs do have depth on the pitching staff with Carlos Zambrano, Lilly, Rich Hill, Marquis, Dempster, Sean Marshall, Kevin Hart and Sean Gallagher in the mix for the rotation. Hendry said he wasn't actively looking for another starter. "To say how it will look for sure on the 14th of February when they hit the field [for the start of Spring Training], it might not be the same and it might be that group," Hendry said. The Cubs finally head into a season with depth in the 'pen and some candidates for the long-relief role. Hendry did meet with free-agent infielder Kaz Matsui before Thanksgiving, but Matsui has reportedly opted to sign with Houston. The Astros are in need of a regular second baseman with the retirement of Craig Biggio, while Matsui would've shared second with Mark DeRosa in Chicago. "We've had dialogue with free agents and we've had dialogue with clubs about trading," Hendry said. "Besides having interest in Matsui, we've talked to other clubs about potentially trading for some left-handed help that play other positions besides right field. We have some ideas. But to my knowledge, nothing is imminent, and we'll try to get something done before Nashville." Another player on the Cubs' radar is Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who has declared free agency in Japan and may move to the Major Leagues. However, he is being courted by several Japanese teams. Because of the pending sale of the Tribune Co., the Cubs may not have ownership in place until mid-2008. That isn't holding Hendry back. "Like last offseason, Jim and Lou and Randy [Bush, assistant general manager] have put together a good plan," said Tribune Co. executive Crane Kenney, who has been the liaison between the ballclub and the Tribune for five-plus seasons. "We're going to get better quick, just like we did last year. "We look forward to taking the next step from this previous season for our fans," Kenney said. Ward will be back with the Cubs after the team exercised a mutual option, and Scott Eyre chose to stay, exercising his player option for 2008. The Cubs did decline club options on outfielder Cliff Floyd and pitcher Steve Trachsel. Among the players who are arbitration-eligible are Neal Cotts, Mark Prior and Michael Wuertz. Prior is coming off arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. The Cubs would like to keep him, but what complicates matters is that the right-hander will be a free agent after the 2008 season. If the Cubs sign him to a one-year deal for 2008, and he isn't able to pitch until August, and then he choses free agency and leaves for another team, that means the Cubs would've paid him for two months. He received $3.575 million in 2007 and didn't make one start. The Cubs have invested a lot of money in Prior, and in a perfect world, a two-year deal with incentives through 2009 would make more sense. The deadline to tender arbitration-eligible players contracts is Dec. 12. Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071127&content_id=2312355&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc&fext=.jsp

BOSTON -- The original "dirt dog" was back at Fenway Park on Monday, as the Red Sox honored Trot Nixon prior to their game against the Tigers as part of the organization's "Memorable Moments Month." While the former right fielder had more than one unforgettable moment with the Sox, the club recognized his walk-off homer in Game 3 of the 2003 American League Division Series against Oakland to stave off elimination in a series Boston came back to win. Nixon threw out the ceremonial first pitch as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Nixon played 12 Major League seasons, including his first 10 in Boston. "There's a lot of emotions, a lot of great things that I was able to be a part of in this ballpark," he said. "The biggest one was I was spoiled by a tremendous fan base, and each time I come back up here it seems like I get more spoiled by them. A lot of memories." Of course, nothing can top the memories from the 2004 World Series, when Nixon hit .357 in a four-game sweep of the Cardinals. "I think the biggest thing in winning that world championship in 2004, I had plenty of time to be around fans in this area that felt like the organization was cursed, [saying], 'We're never going to win a championship,'" Nixon said. "And to be able to come out of those ashes and win something was awesome." Former Red Sox great Johnny Pesky joined Nixon on the field in a pregame ceremony. "It was great to see Pesky," Nixon said. "When you think of Fenway you think of Pesky's Pole and Ted Williams and all these guys. It meant a lot to me that he was able to be there." Proudly wearing a Red Sox jersey, Nixon admits the transition from ballplayer to retirement wasn't easy. "It took a little bit of time," said Nixon, who also works with prospects for the Indians. "It was difficult walking away from the game. I love competing, but more or less everything I've been able to learn in my career I'm trying to pass it on to some of these younger kids." So what's next for one of Boston's most beloved players? He's working on bringing a Minor League team to his hometown of Wilmington, N.C. Austin Laymance is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120528&content_id=32382772&vkey=news_bos&c_id=bos

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Brazil lost all three games it played during Pool A competition in the World Baseball Classic, including the game against Cuba started by Andre Rienzo. But the White Sox Minor League prospect enjoyed the time in Japan playing for his country. "It was great to be there," said Rienzo, who returned to White Sox camp Friday. "I was hoping to stay more time, but it was a great experience, great teammates. I played with my friends and I'm glad to be part of it." Rienzo no-hit Cuba for four innings before giving up two runs in the fifth. He allowed two runs on one hit and four walks over 4 2/3 innings, striking out two, and taking the loss. Pitching coach Don Cooper has talked about getting Rienzo back on the mound as soon as possible. "Cuba and Japan are great teams," Rienzo said. "I just wanted to help Brazil to win." Simulated game gets Peavy's adrenaline flowing GLENDALE, Ariz. -- With inclement weather blanketing the Phoenix area on Friday, the primary White Sox worry was getting Jake Peavy his scheduled work. Relievers could be bumped back a day, but the White Sox wanted their right-hander to throw his four innings and 60 pitches as he was scheduled to do. They chose a simulated game on the back fields at Camelback Ranch, which turned out to be a good move since the Cactus League contest against the Padres was rained out after three innings. Peavy got up and down as if he were starting new innings, facing Adam Dunn, Dayan Viciedo, Tyler Flowers and Carlos Sanchez, who were trying to get their work in as well. He was satisfied with what he got out of the morning workout. "Today was actually a little bit better than getting out in the game because you were able to be under a controlled environment," Peavy said. "So I was able to use a little more pitches than I probably would have. "But I still was going about the same speed as I would have in the game. I was going pretty hard. I'm just glad we were able to get it in, get on a field, simulate a game." A little humorous by-play took place between good friends Dunn and Peavy during the simulated game, with Dunn even faking a bunt on the first pitch of his last at-bat. Dunn, who has two homers, six RBIs and 10 strikeouts lifetime against Peavy, thought he connected on one during one of his at-bats. The strong wind knocked it down in short center. "No, that was not a homer today. Without the wind, that ball would have landed at deep short," said Peavy with a laugh. "Obviously, you guys know how we are as friends. I wanted him out there simply because that competitive drive is in us both. "We love each other, but at the same time, I wanted to get him out and he wanted to get a hit and hit a homer off me. So that competitiveness is what you need in those situations like that. That was a good way to create that." Peavy's next start comes March 13 but it will be on the Minor League side, as Peavy won't be throwing 75 pitches against American League Central rival Cleveland in the scheduled Cactus League contest. Through two trips to the mound, Peavy feels as if he's making progress. "I feel good, I feel healthy. I think my stuff is coming," Peavy said. "It's still not anywhere close to where it should be or is going to be, but it's coming. "That was my second time on a mound. My fastball command was good. I was able to move the ball around a little bit. Yeah, I think I'm right on track to where I want to be. I hope my stuff keeps getting better." Crain feeling better, but not yet 100 percent GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jesse Crain doesn't know how many pitches he threw during Thursday's bullpen session, but it covered the time frame of a normal side session. The strained right adductor, which has limited Crain to one Cactus League appearance, has improved. It's just not good enough yet to get him back into game action. "I just wasn't letting myself get to that point yet because I'm still not 100 percent. I'll slowly get there," Crain said. "Hopefully, I'll have my next bullpen session Sunday or Monday and it will be where I don't even think about it. When I can do it without thinking about it, that's when I know I'm ready. "I'm not worried. I've been able to keep my arm in shape, too. I've been able to long toss. It hasn't affected that. It's just getting off the mound. I have plenty of time." Crain's hope is to get into a Cactus League game sometime next week. Reed getting comfortable with slider, changeup GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A torrential downpour canceled Friday's Padres-White Sox contest after three innings and prevented Addison Reed from working the fourth. If Reed did get to make his fourth Cactus League appearance, it's a safe bet the closer would have been focused on fastball command and offspeed pitches. Those are the pitching basics Reed will work on until the last days of his baseball career. Reed also realizes that in order to make him as effective as possible in the ninth inning during 2013, he has to have full trust in his slider and changeup. Although his fastball averaged 94.6 mph last year according to FanGraphs.com, he can't rely on that pitch to blow away the opposition like his friend and teammate Nate Jones. "I mean, Nate throws 108 mph on every pitch," said a smiling Reed of Jones, who averaged 97.6 mph on his fastball. "But yeah, it's good to have that second pitch, no matter how hard you throw. The more pitches I have, the better off I'm going to be and more comfortable I am and being able to throw them for strikes, it will be beneficial for me. "I'm throwing my slider a bunch and feeling more and more comfortable every time I throw it. Same with the changeup. I threw it a handful of times the first few outings. Just going out there is the only thing to get me more comfortable with it." After converting 29 of 33 save opportunities and setting a single-season rookie franchise record with those 29 saves, Reed feels more at ease as the closer in 2013. "I'm looking forward to it," Reed said. "I think that first year under my belt is huge. Now I'm comfortable and I kind of know what to expect. I know what it takes to stay healthy for a full season." Third to first • Reliever Leyson Septimo will be out of action until Monday because of arm soreness. Pitching coach Don Cooper said the plan is for the southpaw to play catch at that point. • Reliever Jeff Gray made the Cactus League start in place of Peavy on Friday. Gray fanned two in two innings, but the game was postponed after three frames. • Dewayne Wise is 5-for-9 with a double, home run and three RBIs over his last three games.

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CHICAGO -- Taking in their first game as owners, Mark Walter and partners watched the Dodgers get edged by the Cubs on Friday, 5-4, the team's third loss in the last four games. The Chicago-based Walter, CEO Stan Kasten and partner Todd Boehly, sitting in Walter's Wrigley Field season seats near the Cubs' dugout, saw Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley fall behind early and the offense battle back late but fall short. Super-sub Jerry Hairston had his first homer, a triple and a single, half of the Dodgers' hits. The game was played on a typical sunny, cloudy, foggy, humid, hot, cold and misty Chicago day, and ended with a little ninth-inning drama. A.J. Ellis was awarded first base with two outs and a 2-2 count when plate umpire Marty Foster ruled he was hit by a Rafael Dolis pitch. Cubs manager Dale Sveum was ejected for arguing that the pitch missed Ellis entirely. Then newest Dodger Bobby Abreu's screaming liner into the right-center-field gap was gloved by right fielder David DeJesus, who with Alfonso Soriano led the Cubs' offensive attack with three hits apiece. "I hit it good, but there's nothing you can do about that," said Abreu. "I thought the ball would go through the gap and we'd tie the game." Abreu's indoctrination was quick and representative of how manager Don Mattingly will use him. He took a called third strike pinch-hitting for Billingsley in the seventh, took over in left field on a double-switch and was around long enough to get a swing with the game on the line. "That's tough, he shows up and all of a sudden he's in there with the game on the line," said Mattingly. "He smoked the ball. At first I thought it was hit through the gap, but they must have been playing him over there." For good reason, Sveum said. "When you watch enough video, you put spray charts together for people, and the pitcher on the mound, they have their own spray charts, and they put a plan together and you play the 90 percent rule," he said. "The guy's going to hit the ball there 90 percent of the time, we'll play there. And sometimes you might get beat by the 10 percent rule, but in the long run, you're going to save a lot of outs, save a lot of pitches. It's a luxury you have now because of video and spray charts and everything like that." Billingsley was in a first-inning hole after DeJesus led off with a double and was singled home from third by Starlin Castro. Bryan LaHair's groundout moved Castro to second, and he scored on a single by Soriano. Hairston, who has done everything else this year, slugged his first home run of the season in the third inning. Hairston started at third base in place of the injured Juan Uribe and made a slick backhand play on Ian Stewart to end the third inning. Hairston had the big game offensively even though Sveum, who coached Hairston last year in Milwaukee, deployed a defensive shift that Hairston had never seen used against him. "He knows I hit the ball up the middle -- we talked about it last year," Hairston said. "I started laughing the first time I saw it." DeJesus hurt Billingsley again in the fourth inning. Darwin Barney opened the inning by stealing a base on Gold Glove center fielder Matt Kemp, who didn't charge his base hit, and Barney stretched it into a double. Two outs later, with first base open, Billingsley pitched to DeJesus, and he lofted his third hit, a long triple to right-center to score Barney. Mattingly said he considered walking DeJesus there and pitching to Tony Campana (hitting .344 coming in), but he thought the percentages were better with DeJesus (hitting .235 coming in). DeJesus got his drive into the jet stream and it just carried. "We didn't make pitches to those two guys [DeJesus and Soriano], and they weren't missing them today," said catcher Ellis. "Sometimes you get away with it, today we didn't." Dee Gordon effectively knocked Cubs starter Paul Maholm out of the game with a lined single off the lefty's right leg with one out in the sixth inning. Maholm finished the inning and was lifted for pinch-hitter Joe Mather, who homered. The Dodgers scored in the seventh when Andre Ethier led off with a bloop double, and two outs later, Hairston tripled him home. But after Ellis walked to put runners on the corners, Abreu took a called third strike from Shawn Camp. The Cubs added a run in the seventh, with Soriano doubling off Todd Coffey to score a run charged to Scott Elbert. That proved to be the decisive run, as Mark Ellis walked with one out in the top of the eighth, stole second and was tripled home by Kemp, who scored on Ethier's sacrifice fly. "It's been kind of that way all year," Mattingly said of Elbert, who had 0-2 counts twice only to allow hits both at-bats. "Today, [LaHair] hit a good pitch. He's getting two strikes and can't put them away. For me, he's not quite as sharp with the breaking ball." All three batters that Elbert faced reached base, one outing after he served up a walk-off home run to Jason Giambi in Colorado. Elbert has a 6.75 ERA, allowing 12 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Last year, he had a 2.43 ERA with 27 hits allowed in 33 1/3 innings. Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Reds ink highly touted Venezuelan Rodriguez, 16, considered five-tool center fielder CINCINNATI -- While the Reds finalized their deal with first-round Draft pick Yonder Alonso, they also made another move on Friday night that was significant for their developmental system.Center fielder Yorman Rodriguez, a 16-year-old from Venezuela, was signed to a contract. Considered a five-tool player, his birthday was on Friday. The youngest a foreign player can sign a contract is 16. "He might be the top position prospect in all of Latin America," Reds scouting director Chris Buckley said. Terms of the deal were not revealed. Rodriguez is the second highly touted young Latin player to enter the Reds system this year. On Feb. 27, Dominican outfielder Juan Duran was signed. "We've signed two of the top players available in that market and consider both to be first-round Draft picks," Buckley said. "This organization has made great progress in international scouting." Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080816&content_id=3317379&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

Reds nearing deal with top draftee Cincinnati closes in on inking No. 8 pick Leake CINCINNATI -- Talks have been ongoing with Reds first-round Draft pick Mike Leake but appear to be nearing the home stretch.Leake, a pitcher, was the eighth overall selection by Cincinnati in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. "We've had several discussions lately," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "I think we're getting closer. Hopefully, we'll get something resolved this week. We've only got 10 days." Last year, the Reds didn't sign their top pick, first baseman Yonder Alonso, until about 15 minutes before the deadline. "I hope it doesn't take that long," Jocketty said. If Leake is signed this week, he would get almost a month of exposure in the Minor Leagues, most likely with Class A Sarasota. Any unsigned player after the deadline will automatically go back into the Draft pool, which means the Reds would receive a compensatory pick the following year in the same slot where Leake was picked. Leake, a right-handed starter from Arizona State, was 16-1 with a 1.71 ERA, 24 walks and 162 strikeouts in 19 games this season. A key member of the Sun Devils' run in the College World Series, he pitched 142 innings. The deadline to sign Draft picks is 12:01 a.m. on Aug. 18. Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090805&content_id=6261900&vkey=news_cin&c_id=cin&fext=.jsp

Astros load up on pitchers on Draft's second day Second-rounder is OU recruit; third-rounder has MLB bloodlines HOUSTON -- The Astros took full advantage of a Draft touted for its pitching depth on Day 2, selecting hurlers with their first four picks and 14 of their 29 picks on Tuesday. "The power arms, a lot of them went off yesterday between 11 and 69," said assistant general manager and director of scouting Bobby Heck. "But, luckily for us, there were some left over, and we think we got a couple of those in the first few picks." Headlining the group of pitchers was second-round pick Adrian Houser, a right-hander from Locust Grove High School in Oklahoma, who will have to decide between signing with the Astros or playing for the University of Oklahoma. "I've always been an OU fan and always wanted to play for OU," Houser said. "But, then again, baseball is my life, and I want to go play pro ball, and I want to get in the Minor League system so I can learn everything as fast as I can, so I can work my way up to the Majors as fast as I can. It's just going to be a process that's going to take some time, probably. I've got a lot of thinking to do." Houser's father, Mike, who coached his son as a preteen and later in high school, said his son will be happy with either decision but thinks he is leaning a certain direction. "I think if things work out the way we think they're going to, I think he'll probably be an Astro," Mike Houser said. "But I don't know that for sure." Adrian Houser, who helped guide his high school team to the first 4A State Championship in school history, is in a family surrounded by baseball. His brother played college baseball. His uncle, James Knott, was drafted by the Mets in 1992 as a pitcher, and he is also distantly related to catcher Robert Davis, who played eight seasons in the Major Leagues. Houser said he got the impression from a few teams he could have been selected late in the first round, but the disappointment didn't last long as he was selected early in the second round with the 69th pick. "Back when I was 5, I said I wanted to go pro in baseball, and everybody looked at me like I was stupid," Houser said. "I just stuck with it, and here I am." The pick continued two trends for the Astros under Heck. It marked the third straight year the Astros selected a high school pitcher in the second round after taking Tanner Bushue in 2009 and Vincent Velasquez in 2010. The selection also sustained a trend of valuing athleticism. First-round pick George Springer, an outfielder from the University of Connecticut, stole 31 bases this season. Houser played football and basketball before choosing baseball. "We have gotten more athletic, both in our position players, as well as the pitchers," Heck said Friday regarding past drafts. "With Jordan [Lyles], a lot of the reason for his success is because of his multi-sport athleticism." Houser was one of just seven of the Astros' first 30 picks that wasn't from college or junior college. General manager Ed Wade said that trend was not by design. "At the end of the day, if the ratios are skewed one way or the other, it's just a product of the talent that's in the Draft," Wade said. Houston selected 6-foot-7, 230-pound Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Armstrong with its third selection. His father, who carries the same name, pitched seven seasons in the Major Leagues. The Astros used their fourth-round pick on southpaw Christopher Lee from Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Fla., and their fifth-round pick on right-hander Nick Tropeano from Stony Brook University in New York. Wade said he thinks the club will be well positioned when it comes to signing players. "There are some guys that, because of the fact that they don't sign early enough, they run out of time, they run out of season, and their first professional experience is in the instructional league, and that can cost them as much as a year of big league time," Wade said. "Any time they can have a wood bat in their hands and play in a professional environment, it's probably going to accelerate their path to the big leagues." The Astros selected just three players from the Lone Star State, none of whom played college ball in Texas. Wade said the club still expected to find value during Day 3 of the Draft, which begins with the 31st round. "We're still going the way they're ranked on the board," Wade said. As we've proven with guys like Danny Meszaros, who's pitching in Triple-A right now, there are opportunities to get good prospects even in the 40s in this Draft." Live coverage of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft resumes at 11 a.m. CT Wednesday on MLB.com, where fans will receive exclusive coverage of Day 3, featuring a live pick-by-pick stream, expert commentary and Draft Tracker, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of every Draft-eligible player. You can also keep up to date at Draft Central and by following @MLBDraft on Twitter. And get into the Draft conversation by tagging your tweets with #mlbdraft. Here is a rundown of the Astros' Day 2 picks: Round 2, Adrian Houser, RHP, Locust Grove High School (Okla.) The 6-foot-3 right-hander is the third straight high school pitcher taken in second round by the Astros. An 18-year-old senior, he was 10-1 with a 0.62 ERA in 2011. Round 3, Jack Armstrong, RHP, Vanderbilt University His father pitched in the Major Leagues for seven seasons. Armstrong had control issues and injuries that he overcame but now features a fastball in the upper 90s. Round 4, Christopher Lee, LHP, Santa Fe CC (Fla.) Another pitcher standing over six feet tall at 6-foot-2, he was 3-3 with a 2.85 ERA in six starts this season. Round 5, Nick Tropeano, RHP, Stony Brook University (N.Y.) Tropeano was 12-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 2011, tossing four complete games. He was named the America East Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2010. Round 6, Brandon Meredith, LF, San Diego State University The 6-foot-2, 225-pound outfielder was the first high school player to hit a home run at PETCO Park. He was named a preseason second-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America and hit .272 with five home runs this season. Round 7, Javaris Reynolds, CF, King High School (Fla.) The high schooler missed his graduation to participate in a pre-Draft workout with the Astros. It paid off for the 6-foot-2 outfielder from Tampa, who was scouted by Larry Pardo. Round 8, Brandon Culbreth, RHP, Forsyth Country Day School (N.C.) He continued a trend of tall and large pitchers on Day 2, standing 6-foot-3, 200 pounds. He was on the 2010 All-Region Second Team. Round 9, Jonas Dufek, RHP, Creighton University The 6-foot-5 Dufek recorded 128 strikeouts in 112.2 innings in 2011, walking just 29 batters. He was 12-1 and threw 16 complete games. Round 10, Kyle Hallock, LHP, Kent State University He led the Golden Flashes with a 1.95 ERA in 16 starts. It marked the second straight season he tallied at least 15 starts. Round 11, Justin Gominsky, CF, University of Minnesota Gominsky fought past a knee injury that limited him in 2010 to hit .307 in 2011. He is a former two-sport athlete, having played football and baseball in college. Round 12, Miles Hamblin, C, University of Mississippi The Rowlett, Texas, native appeared in 46 of 52 games in 2011 for the Rebels yet committed just three errors. The versatile catcher also played first base and designated hitter and was a relief pitcher in 2010. Round 13, John Hinson, 2B, Clemson University The redshirt junior hit .331 and swiped 23 bags in 2011 while also showing power, blasting nine home runs. He hit .351 with 17 home runs the previous season. Round 14, Horace Stubblefield, RHP, Lufkin High School (Texas) The only Texas player high school player drafted by Astros during the first 30 rounds, Stubblefield was 6-0 in district play with one save. He had a 1.07 ERA in 2011. Round 15, Zachary Johnson, 1B, Oklahoma State University Johnson led the Cowboys with a .356 batting average. The junior college transfer also led the team with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs en route to being named the 2011 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Round 16, Scott Zuloaga, LHP, Scottsdale CC (Ariz.) The Thousand Oaks, Calif., native tossed 1.08 strikeouts per inning and recorded a 1.82 ERA in 2011. Round 17, Tyson Perez, RHP, Fresno CC (Calif.) Perez made the First-team Central Valley All-Conference team this season, posting a 3.49 ERA in 69 2/3 innings. Round 18, Kevin Miller, RHP, University of California-Berkeley Standing just at six feet, Miller was still imposing on the mound, striking out 84 batters in 79 innings. He was 6-4 with a 2.62 ERA, lowering his ERA from last year, 4.72. Round 19, Mitchell Lambson, LHP, Arizona State University He made the honorable mention Pac-10 All-Conference team, posting a 4.41 ERA with a 7-2 record. He earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors in 2010. Round 20, Matthew Duffy, 3B, University of Tennessee The 215-pounder hit .312 this season with six home runs and snagged seven bases. He was also the Volunteers' regular third baseman the previous season, playing in 55 of 56 games. Round 21, James Howick, SS, Jacksonville University (Fla.) He started 51 of 54 games, hitting .319 and striking out 29 times in 207 at-bats. He showed a little power with four home runs. Round 22, Andrew Muren, CF, Cal State-Northridge The 6-foot-6 athlete committed only one error in 2011 despite starting 53 of 55 games and managed to hit .307 with nine stolen bases. Round 23, Ruben Sosa, 2B, Oklahoma City University The speedster stole a whopping 44 bases and posted an on-base percentage of .446 while hitting .389. Round 24, Jesse Wierzbicki, 1B, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill The sure-handed defender posted a .996 fielding percentage this season and hit .301 at the plate. He showed speed at first base, stealing seven bases and legging out three triples. Round 25, William Flamion, LF, Central Catholic High School (Calif.) Flamion reached base more often than not, posting a .522 on-base percentage and walking 22 times while striking out just five times in 85 at-bats. He hit .388 his senior year. Round 26, Jared Fisher, RHP, Newport High School (Wash.) Fisher struck out 64 batters in just 51 innings en route to becoming an All-Region First-Team selection with a 1.92 ERA in nine starts. Round 27, Alexander Todd, SS, Sonoma State University (Calif.) Todd hit .332 in 214 at-bats in 2011 after transferring to Sonoma State from Centenary College. He also smashed five home runs and 10 doubles this season. Round 28, Jordan John, LHP, University of Oklahoma John made the 2011 All-Big 12 freshman team, posting a 2.35 ERA with a 4-2 record and starting seven of his 20 games. He allowed 23 runs in 61 1/3 innings but only 15 were earned. Round 29, Wallace Gonzalez, OF, Bishop Amat Memorial High School (Calif.) Gonzalez, the final high schooler to be snagged by the Astros on Day 2, had a 4-for-4, six-RBI performance to lead Bishop Amat past Mountain View St. Francis to advance to the Hard 9 National Classic semifinals. Round 30, Jordan Steranka, 3B, Penn State University The junior hit .323 with eight home runs and 57 RBIs for the Nittany Lions, hitting one more home run than he did in 2010. He started all 54 games he played in and also snagged six bases. Rowan Kavner is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110607&content_id=20162438&vkey=draftcentral2011

Q. How important was it for your pitcher to get off to a good start after he had struggled and strike out the first two guys and find his rhythm? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I thought the first inning would be a critical inning for him, for his confidence, also just to see where he was at. Really, I mean, what a job he did. He's worked on some things, and Rags, Dave Righetti, our pitching coach, did a great job getting him back on track, and he had great poise out there with great delivery, and he stayed right on for seven innings. He's done such a great job for us. I really thought he needed a break, and I thought he benefitted from it, getting some rest, both mentally and physically, and he went out there and pitched like we know he can. Q. How much has it helped this team to get the kind of freak plays, the ball hits the bag, you get the freak double play yesterday and then the bunt tonight? How much does that help what you're trying to do? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I mean, that always helps, but you have to give Blanco credit. What a bunt he laid down. He couldn't put down a better bunt than what he did. He's a good bunter and we executed well with the bunt. The relay was huge. Blanco recovered, and even though he overthrew Crawford, Scutaro was right there and made a perfect throw; and Buster made a great tag there, and that does a lot for the pitcher, too, when you make a play like that. Defense can help you win games, and it's done that for us. It's all about executing, and tonight we did a great job of it. Q. About that play, were you surprised they sent Prince there in the second and what was your view on that play at the plate? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, it hit off the wall, so I thought he would score, to be honest, the way it carried off the wall. It took two perfect throws to get him. It was a bang‑bang play, and great call by Dan. That's not an easy call there. He was out, and good quick tag by Buster, like I said. It took a perfect relay to get it done. Q. The fans are obviously very pleased with the situation. How would you describe the situation your team is in right now being up 2‑0? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, that's what it is. It's the best of seven, we're up 2‑0. That's the way we have to look at it. It's the best of seven; it's great to get off to a good start. We're heading to Detroit and playing in their ballpark, and you keep pushing. That's what you do at this point. We don't, believe me, take anything for granted. You go out there and you play hard every game, and tomorrow is our ‑‑ two days from now is our biggest game, and that's how we approach it. Q. Would you have played the situation the same way that Jim did in the seventh inning with the infield back there? BRUCE BOCHY: I don't go into what their strategy is or mine. I don't think about that. They're in a tough situation and don't want to give up a big inning. With that offense, we do what we think we have to do, just like Jim does. I don't even think about that. Q. Hunter Pence last night had some rough at‑bats; tonight he had some really good at‑bats. How important is he individually to what you guys are trying to do offensively? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, he's in the 5 hole, and those guys you're counting on to help drive in runs and do some damage, and that at‑bat to add on to the score was really, I thought, huge for us. It's a little different when you have a one or two‑run lead. He battled and barely got a piece of one pitch there, and he finally found a way to get the run in. Pence, he's full throttle, gives you all he has out there, and that's all you can ask. You know when he's up there he's going to fight as hard as he can to do something. Q. After winning by five runs last night, was it back to torture tonight, back to the torture way of winning again? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, it's our style, really, and it's been like that for a few years here. You know, we play a lot of close games, and these guys are used to it. We faced a good pitcher tonight that was on top of his game. He threw the ball very well. And this game could have gone either way, with the way both guys were throwing. But the torture thing is something we've had fun with, but at the same time, we wish we could do things a little bit easier. But that's not our way. Q. For you what's the fundamental difference in Madison's performance tonight versus the last two outings? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, I think more than anything, it was his delivery. It was a little simpler, more compact, and I think he was able to get the ball where he wanted tonight because of that. Sometimes you get out of sync, whether you're a hitter or a pitcher, and tonight he was right on with his delivery, his rhythm, and just had a good tempo out there and kept it going; great poise the whole game and just did a tremendous job. He hadn't pitched in a while, but he was right on tonight. Q. Can you talk about how Romo has embraced his role as the closer on this team? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, if you know him, he loves it. He loves being out there with the game on the line. That's what you love about him. He's not afraid, and he controls the baseball very well on both sides, a good slider, and he's got the ability to keep his composure out there in that ninth inning. That's always a tough inning. But he's got the makeup to be out there, and he's done a great job of whatever role I put him in, whether it's setup or closing, and he wants to do whatever he can to help. But I do think he really enjoys closing. Q. You mentioned Bumgarner's delivery was simpler, more compact. Could you get a little more detailed exactly what was happening? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, not really. It would take a long time. But these are things that hitters and pitchers work on. I talked about he was making too big a turn there and going side to side. He just wanted to get back to where he was when he was throwing the ball, and he just got out of sync. He had, I think, three pens or whatever to work on some things, and tonight he was much more compact and kept his hand on top of the ball a little bit better. Q. Given how much Pence struggled last night, did you consider dropping him at all? And what was different about ‑‑ he had several good at‑bats tonight. What was he doing differently tonight than last night? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, every night is different. They made some great pitches last night. No, I didn't think about dropping him in the order. I did the one time in St. Louis, but when you're in postseason, you pretty much want to go with the guys that got you there and the order that brought you to the dance, so to speak. This guy is a good hitter, and I like his presence in the lineup, where he's at, and I think it's important we stay behind our guys, and they need to know it. Q. You talked before about your team not taking anything for granted. Do you think the fact that you guys went through what you went through the first two rounds on the other side will help your guys sort of keep perspective of you still need two more wins in the series here? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, you have to. You have no choice. It's the best of seven. So you go out there and you play hard and you see what happens. You don't really look at where you're at. You go out there to win every game. And if you do that and do it in the right way, you'll see where you're at when it's all over. Don't get caught up in you're 2 and 0 or 0 and 2. You go out there and play hard for nine innings. These guys did a great job of it in Cincinnati and St. Louis, and that's the way we have to keep doing it here. Q. What impressed you about Fister's performance tonight? BRUCE BOCHY: Well, he gets good movement on his fastball. He's got a good breaking ball, changeup, was pitching in and out, and he was making his pitches. He was throwing the ball well coming into this game. We knew that. And he carried that into tonight's game. We had our work cut out. We couldn't do much against him, and we finally scratched and clawed and found a way to get a run off him. Q. That play at the plate considering last year what happened with Buster, how concerned were you about safety? Is that something that immediately passed into your mind or do things happen so fast that you don't worry about it? BRUCE BOCHY: You really don't think about it in the game, to be honest. We've worked on plays at the plate, and it's part of the game, and he's going to have plays at the plate. I don't try to think about it, to be honest, but he was in a good position, made a great tag. And sometimes for a catcher, though, you're caught in an awkward position depending on the throw. And you have to give Marco credit with the perfect throw to help him to be where he was and apply the tag. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121026&content_id=40057308&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Reds Press Release P&G announces $2,000,000 commitment to Reds Urban Youth Academy P&G and Reds partnering to make a difference in the Cincinnati community P&G has committed $2,000,000 to the Cincinnati Reds and the Reds Community Fund’s “Urban Youth Academy.” The Reds Urban Youth Academy will be a baseball and softball training facility at Roselawn Park in Cincinnati that provides free, year-round instruction for boys and girls ages 6-18 from Greater Cincinnati and throughout Reds Country. “P&G is proud to continue our partnership with the Reds and the Reds Community Fund to help improve the Cincinnati community through the development of the first Urban Youth Academy in the Midwest,” said Jodi Allen, P&G VP North America Marketing and Brand Operations. The complex will include four renovated fields and a 33,000 square foot building featuring batting cages, pitching tunnels and a full indoor field. Groundbreaking will be in 2013 with project completion expected in 2015. “We are committed to creating opportunities to get more kids to play baseball,” said Phil Castellini, Reds Chief Operating Officer. “With the support of P&G and our other partners the Academy will be the hub for urban baseball and softball training in Greater Cincinnati and hope to serve more than 20,000 kids and coaches annually.” The relationship includes support from Kroger featuring a strong in-store retail plan in 2013 that will promote several P&G brands while raising awareness for the Reds Urban Youth Academy project. The Reds Urban Youth Academy is modeled after Major League Baseball academies in Compton, Ca., Houston, Philadelphia and New Orleans. Since 2010, P&G and the Reds Community Fund have partnered for the annual “P&G Community Day” volunteer service projects featuring hundreds of P&G employees renovating baseball and softball fields and community parks. The most recent project on August 2 included over 400 P&G North America Marketing employees restoring the Cheviot Memorial Fields, historic grandstand and Cheviot Memorial Fieldhouse. The Reds Community Fund currently operates the Reds Urban Youth Academy at the temporary home of Cincinnati Public School’s Gamble Montessori High School in Winton Place. The fall/winter session starts October 22 and offers free baseball and softball instruction four days a week to boys and girls from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky public schools. There is currently a need for an expanded, year-round Reds Urban Youth Academy in Cincinnati because local Knothole participation has dipped significantly in the past five years while select baseball programs continue to expand. This suggests baseball is failing in urban areas that typically rely on neighborhood and recreational baseball for instruction. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, the number of kids aged 7 to 17 playing baseball decreased 33% from 8.7 million participants to 5.8 million participants from 2000 to 2011. Additional partners in the Reds Urban Youth Academy capital fundraising campaign are Major League Baseball, The City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, PNC Bank and Reds owners and players.

http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121005&content_id=39500154&vkey=pr_cin&c_id=cin

GLENDALE – Steve Sullivan isn't a point-a-game player – until Columbus shows up on the schedule. The Blue Jackets came to Arizona at just the right time for Sullivan, a free-agent signing last summer, to endear himself to his new teammates. Sullivan scored three times during a run of five unanswered goals as the Coyotes overcame the loss of star goalie Mike Smith with a 5-1 victory, their first after two disappointing losses to start the season. It was the eighth career hat trick for Sullivan, who now has 19 goals and 48 points in 48 career games against the Blue Jackets. "Everyone wanted to put in a better effort, especially myself, and we got it. That's the kind of hockey we need to play to win," said Sullivan, who thrived in a similar system to Phoenix's for 5 1/2 seasons with the Predators. "You're brought in for a certain reason and you don't want to disappoint. If you look at this team as I watched them in the playoffs last year, everyone has a set role and everyone knows what they have to do to be successful. When they do those things well they win games. "We really wanted this hockey game, and with the shortened season we knew it was big for us." But why is he so successful against Columbus? "I don't know what the difference is about that one team," Sullivan said with a laugh. "I don't want to play for them because I need to play against them." Smith, who allowed 10 goals in the first two games, suffered a minor lower-body injury in warmups and lasted only 11 minutes before giving way to backup Jason LaBarbera. LaBarbera made 21 saves, including two big ones on Vinny Prospal and Ryan Johansen in his first minute of action. It was the first win for LaBarbera, 3-9-3 last season, in 11 decisions dating to a victory at Carolina on Dec. 21, 2011. "You don't have time to think about anything when you have to make a big save right away and then a little rebound. That's why you work on things like that in practice," LaBarbera said. "We were focused and played an unreal game. We cut down on turnovers and kept the puck in their end." Defenseman Oliver-Ekman Larsson added two goals and a career-high three points for Phoenix, which won without center Martin Hanzal and defenseman Rostislav Klesla. Both sat out with lower-body injuries suffered in Sunday's loss to Chicago and are day-to-day. "That was an important game for us and we knew it," Ekman-Larsson said. "It was good to see us get back to the things that make us successful." |Steve Sullivan celebrates one of his three goals on Wednesday. Photo by Getty Images.| Defenseman Fedor Tyutin scored his first goal of the season for Columbus (1-1-1) but Phoenix outshot Columbus 42-26, forcing Steve Mason to make 37 saves in his first start of the season. "We played a decent road game and then it unraveled and it unraveled quickly," Columbus Head Coach Todd Richards said. "We've got to do more to create offense. The breakdowns we had are things we covered and things we have executed in our first two games." LaBarbera was screened by Derek Dorsett on the only goal he allowed as Tyutin let a shot go from the point. It was the first goal of the season for Tyutin and the first time Columbus has scored the opening goal in a game this season. But the Coyotes needed just 1:57 to respond. Sullivan held the puck in the Columbus zone, chased down an Antoine Vermette pass and shoveled a backhander by Mason at 7:27 for his first goal with the Coyotes. Phoenix (1-2-0) took the lead for good less than eight minutes later. Ekman-Larsson trailed the rush, retrieved a pass that caromed off the stick of Matthew Lombardi and whipped a wrist shot past Mason to put the Coyotes ahead at 15:22. "That was a nice shot. We've seen him score goals like that in Portland (AHL) this year," Coyotes Head Coach Dave Tippett said. Sullivan made it 3-1 on a 5-on-3 power play, putting home a Mikkel Boedker feed from the slot with both Dorsett and Derick Brassard in the box serving tripping penalties. Sullivan closed out his big night at 10:01, deflecting a Derek Morris shot from the slot through Mason's legs to send hats flying. Ekman-Larsson added his second goal of the night with 4:58 to play. 1. The Coyotes are 61-4-3 under Head Coach Dave Tippett since the start of the 2009-10 season when scoring four or more goals. 2. Goalie Jason LaBarbera stopped 21 of 22 shots in relief of Mike Smith in his season debut and earned the win. For those wondering, that's pro wrestler CM Punk painted on LaBarbera's mask. 3. The Coyotes are 99-4-0 under Head Coach Dave Tippett since the start of the 2009-10 season when leading after two periods. 4. Center Antoine Vermette notched two assists and won 12-of-14 faceoffs. 5. The Coyotes outshot the Blue Jackets 42-26. Phoenix is tied for second in the League with 37.0 shots per game.

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2012020039

CROSSVILLE — The North junior varsity girls won the Upperman Invitational at Upperman High School the week of Oct. 22. In the first round, they defeated Monroe County, KY 36-15. They defeated Sparta in the semi-finals 23-22. For the championship, they won over Macon County 24-17. The team members include Reece Stover, Paige Selby, Skylar Lewis, Emery Smith, Emma Capps, Katie Coudriet, Lauren Tabor, Bailey Hicks, Kelli Carroll, Katelyn Tabor and Chloe Reagan.

http://crossville-chronicle.com/localsports/x699473102/Wins-Upperman-tournament/print

As soon as the referee announced the end of Uruguay’s 1-0 loss to Great Britain in their final group match on Wednesday, their captain, Luis Suarez, fell down to his knees due to the disappointment of crashing out of the 2012 London Olympics. He remained in that crouched and dejected position until one of his teammates approached and helped him get back on his feet. This little post-match incident highlights just how badly Suarez wanted to stay alive at London 2012, and its importance to him, his football crazy countrymen, and fans betting on Olympic football, this summer. Before the London Games, Uruguay had not participated in the Olympics’ football tournaments for 84 long years. Having decided to end their exile from the event this summer, they were determined to go deep and even capture a medal if possible. This South American country has only won two gold medals at Olympics and their football team in the 1924 and 1928 events won both of them. Hence, it would not have been a shock if they had managed to find themselves on the podium at the end of the tournament. After all, Ondino Viera, a famous Uruguayan football coach had once famously summarised his countrymen’s enthusiasm for the sport by saying: “Other countries have their history. Uruguay has its football.” Their current football coach, Oscar Tabarez, had also seemed pumped up for the tournament and had reportedly shown his players the archived footage of Uruguay’s wins of the 1924 and 1928 to get them motivated. La Celeste arrived in London will full of confidence and an abundance of talent on their roster but, unfortunately, they couldn’t translate that into winning football on the field. At the start of the competition, they were expected to win their group with ease, but a solitary win, followed by double defeats, meant that their hopes of replicating their forefathers’ Olympics success came to an instant halt in the very first hurdle. Great Britain’s hopes for the Olympics are looking somewhat brighter than Uruguay’s: Betfair is backing Becky Adlington to win the gold medal in the women’s swimming event. Popularity: 1% [?] If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed! Are you a new dad, old dad, soon to be dad or just wish you were a dad? Check out Like A Dad, a blog that touches on doing parenting....like a dad.

http://cuzoogle.com/2012/08/03/uruguay-feeling-olympic-blues/

Jeff Novitzki was an IRS agent. Not an avenging angel sent from above, nor an earthly crusader for all that is good and pure in America, but a bureaucrat. Somewhere along the way he got it into his mind that it was his job and his job alone (and his only job) to eradicate the peril of steroids in sports. He's with the FDA now, but he continues his myopic, monomaniacal quest to bring down the users. With today's mistrial in the Roger Clemens case, let's take a look at some of Novitzki's targets and what came of the copious amounts of man-hours and taxpayer money that went into securing justice. • Marion Jones pleaded guilty to making false statements. She was sentenced to six months in prison. • Track coach Trevor Graham was convicted for making false statements; a mistrial was declared on two other counts. He was sentenced to a year of house arrest. • Cyclist Tammy Thomas was found guilty for perjury and obstruction. The jury rejected two other perjury counts. She was sentenced to six months house arrest. • Dana Stubblefield pleaded guilty to a count of making false statements. He was sentenced to probation. • Barry Bonds was convicted for obstruction. A mistrial was declared on three other counts. • The case against Roger Clemens was declared a mistrial. The government will have to decide whether to re-pursue charges, if a judge even allows it. • Since 2008, Novitzky has been investigating Lance Armstrong. It remains to be seen if charges will be brought. In summary, Jeff Novitzky is not very good at punishing people for using steroids, but he's great at punishing people for saying they didn't use them. In Les Miserables, the similarly obsessed Javert could not reconcile the fact that laws and morals were not one and the same. He removed himself from the case (permanently) and the entire menace disappeared — it had never been an actual menace beyond what the investigator made it.

http://deadspin.com/5821286/despite-jeff-novitzkys-lifes-work-cheating-at-sports-is-still-not-a-crime?tag=barry-bonds

Iguodala’s incredible in Bull-dozing effort gives 76ers signature victory PHILADELPHIA — If the folks who like to rank NBA teams like a college basketball poll wanted to see the 76ers raise their strength of schedule, Wednesday night they delivered. The Sixers (16-6) didn’t just beat the team with the best record in the NBA, they beat up the Bulls. And behind a massive effort in the third quarter fueled by an Andre Iguodala performance that should go on his All-Star nomination portfolio, they cruised to a 98-82 win over Chicago (18-6) at a rowdy Wells Fargo Center. Iguodala finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists, but it was the electric plays he made in the third quarter as the Sixers broke the game open by outscoring Chicago 26-11 that stood out. It included an incredible tomahawk slam and a steal followed by a behind-the-back dribble and feed that made the building shake and brought out the emotions as he led the Sixers past his hometown team. “I think he knows that I want him to be in a position to be attacking all the time,” Doug Collins said of Iguodala. “What he gives us is a bigger attack guy who can see over the defense. “When we needed him, he made that huge spurt. Those fast-break dunks are electric plays.” “I’m just trying to play a little more freely,” said Iguodala, who is making a push toward his first All-Star nod that seems more inevitable with each passing game. “I’m trying to get it to rub off on other guys. Sometimes we get too tight with leads and start worrying about things and making mistakes. We have the talent. You have to have fun out there. “It shows people I still got it. I might be getting old and hide them a little bit ... I bring it out once in a while to show I can still do it.” Iguodala also did a number on both Derrick Rose and Kyle Korver, switching between the two on defense and making them work for every look. Rose, the reigning MVP, had 18 points and six assists, but he was a minus-17 and progressively lost influence as the game progressed. The Sixers had five players score in double figures, including rookie Lavoy Allen, who had 15 points and six rebounds and is making it tough for fellow rookie Nik Vucevic to get back on the floor after his knee injury. “Nik is a good player and I haven’t even been able to get him in the last two games,” Collins said. “It’s a lot different (than last season). One of the things we knew we needed to do was improve our front line. We were probably one of the smallest teams in the league last year when we finished games with Thad (Young) and EB (Elton Brand). Now we have two young players we think are going to have great futures here.” Continued... The Sixers solved the late-game issues they had Monday night when they were on the verge of blowing out the Magic, only to see the game get uncomfortably close in the final minutes. Chicago was threatening to get the game within single digits midway through the fourth quarter, but the Sixers stayed aggressive at both ends of the court and never lost grip of their big lead. According to Iguodala, the reason why the Sixers have become so good at correcting flaws from game to game is the frankness with which teammates share their thoughts. “We have guys who aren’t afraid to throw punches at each other,” Iguodala said. “If you get lit up one night, you’ll hear about it. We take pride in shutting down our man or doing it as a team. “I tell the guys all the time I’ll ride and die with them no matter what. When things are bad, I’ll ride with them. And when things are good, I’m happy for them. “The formula is working. We just have to continue believe in each other.” Chicago 21 23 11 27—82 Philadelphia 27 22 26 23—98 Korver 4-8 0-0 9, Boozer 4-11 1-2 9, Noah 0-3 2-2 2, Rose 8-17 1-3 18, Brewer 3-8 0-0 6, Gibson 4-6 1-1 9, Asik 1-2 0-0 2, Butler 1-3 2-4 5, Watson 6-14 4-4 20, Scalabrine 1-1 0-0 2, Lucas 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-74 11-16 82. PHILADELPHIA (98) Continued... Iguodala 8-13 1-2 19, Brand 3-9 1-1 7, Battie 1-3 0-0 2, Holiday 8-15 0-0 17, Meeks 1-5 0-0 3, Williams 4-12 6-8 14, Allen 7-10 1-2 15, Turner 1-5 0-0 2, Young 7-12 5-6 19. Totals 40-84 14-19 98. 3-Point Goals_Chicago 7-17 (Watson 4-7, Butler 1-2, Rose 1-2, Korver 1-4, Lucas 0-1, Brewer 0-1), Philadelphia 4-11 (Iguodala 2-3, Holiday 1-1, Meeks 1-3, Williams 0-4). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Chicago 47 (Boozer 9), Philadelphia 49 (Iguodala 9). Assists_Chicago 22 (Rose 6), Philadelphia 26 (Williams 6). Total Fouls_Chicago 15, Philadelphia 14. Technicals_Philadelphia Coach Collins. A_18,325 (20,318). Philadelphia Sports By Bleacher Report Location, ST | website.com Athletes of the Week National Sports Videos Insight, observations on the first team in professional sports to reach 10,000 losses and the latest Philly team to make the playoffs - the Philadelphia Phillies. Jack McCaffery is the lead sports columnist for the Daily Times and delcotimes.com. He has spent several decades covering everything from the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and Sixers, to college hoops, to high school sports in Delco. Bob Grotz blogs about the Philadelphia Eagles. Terry Toohey has the colleges covered. Laura Nachman covers everything about televison, from American Idol to sweeps. The SB Nation blog about the Philadelphia Phillies. The SB Nation blog about the Philadelphia Eagles. The SB Nation blog about the Philadelphia Flyers. The SB Nation blog about the 76ers. Top Sports Stories - New Penn State coach O'Brien lauds recruits sticking with Nittany Lions - Temple, Addazio snare 27 new recruits - Iguodala’s incredible in Bull-dozing effort gives 76ers signature victory - Briere, van Riemsdyk making little headway - Ali's legendary trainer Angelo Dundee dies at 90 - Big 5: Temple's Moore, Wyatt too much for Fordham - COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Haverford in record territory behind big effort by Pizzuto

http://delcotimes.com/articles/2012/02/02/sports/doc4f2a11db32d74359991551.txt?viewmode=fullstory

It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the NBA, NCAA or high school – great basketball is great basketball. And yesterday has to go down as one of the greatest days in hoops history. Ever. Take for example the first four games of the day: you had a one point game, a buzzer beater for an upset, an overtime scare and a double overtime thriller. Only if Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery called all four games, could you have asked for anything better … If you were on the site at all yesterday, then you know the Dime crew was on top of everything. So we’ll try and bring some new thoughts and observations to Smack … Let’s start with BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. First of all, we knew about this kid all season – especially after he dropped 49 at Arizona back in December. But apparently some people still hadn’t received the scouting report. E-mail from one of our boys after the game: “I googled that dude who went bonkers against Florida to see what else he’s done. I had no idea that this guy even existed. Have you seen this clip?!” For a guy who’s favorite actor is Denzel Washington, he certainly went Man on Fire on the Gators … In the next group of games, for a team that was supposed to be a sleeper, UTEP simply fell asleep after going into halftime with 33-27 lead over Butler. After the break, the Bulldogs went on a 22-4 run led by Shelvin Mack, who hit five 3-pointers in the first 11 minutes, finishing with a career high-tying 25 points. Alright, so after winning 21 games in a row, perhaps it’s time to stop sleeping on Butler … In the third set of games, it was all about Georgetown. Giving up the most points they’ve ever given up in 70 NCAA tournament games, the Hoyas simply got smacked. And as you can imagine, the Twitterverse went wild. From Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn (@J_Flynn) to Georgetown’s Jeff Green (@jeff_green22): “MESSAGE: hey jeff this is jonny. I was wondering if you cud give me an update on the Gtown game. I been kind of busy. Lata.” In response, this is all he had to say: “sorry jeff green is not on twitter at the moment can you leave a message after the beep…..BBEEEEEPPPPPP!!!..don’t mention my hoyas plz lol.” Classic … While Georgetown’s Greg Monroe said after the game that he will return to school next year, don’t put much weight behind that statement. Posting 19 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks in the loss, it’s more likely that the next time we’ll see Monroe is shaking David Stern‘s hand this June … The other good game in that time slot – besides UNLV/Northern Iowa which ended like THIS – was the Marquette/Washington game. One of the last teams in the tournament, the Huskies were no lock to pull the upset. Even President Obama didn’t think so. After taking it to the rack and hitting a double-clutch banker to win the game, Quincy Pondexter told CBS’ Bob Wenzel afterwards, “Sorry, President Obama, for ruining your bracket.” Somehow we doubt Q is getting an invite to summer runs at the White House … For the last set, NBA scouts must have been glued to their televisions: Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu, Texas’ Damion James and Avery Bradley, New Mexico’s Darrington Hobson and Kansas’ Xavier Henry, Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are all NBA prospects and all were in action. The most exciting finish of the bunch was surely Texas/Wake Forest who went in the last 70 seconds, saw C.J. Harris blocked on the break by Bradley, only to have Gary Johnson‘s dunk attempt blocked at the rim by L.D. Williams. Missed free throws in both regulation and overtime lost the game for Texas … In case you were wondering, Aldrich is the son of Eric Montross, the brother of Joel Przybilla and the cousin of Raef LaFrentz. Oh yeah, and Greg Ostertag is his great uncle … Although we were utterly consumed with March Madness, there was also a doubleheader in the NBA. Perhaps it was the highlights of him back in college, but Vince Carter (27 pts, 6 asts) played some inspired basketball last night. After blowing a 12-point lead over the last five minutes of regulation, the Magic escaped to OT after Dwyane Wade’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was just a tad better than UNLV’s – and they couldn’t even get off an attempt before the buzzer. Wade (36 pts, 10 rebs, 7 asts) did everything he could, but Rashard Lewis continued his solid play of late with 24 points and 11 rebounds, including the clinching three-pointer with 28.4 seconds left … E-mail from Dime’s Austin Burton during the game: “I think I just saw Timbaland sitting courtside at the Heat/Magic game. But if that was him, he looks like he ate Magoo” … As for the Nuggets and Hornets, this game was over before it began. Even with Kenyon Martin out, the Nuggets led 62-37 at halftime, as J.R. Smith had 17 points off the bench in 13 minutes. But in the second half it was all ‘Melo, as he finished with 26 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. The Nuggets are now 30-5 at home, tied with the Lakers for second-best in the NBA to Cleveland’s 30-4 mark, making them a very dangerous team come playoff time … Make sure you come back later today for all our coverage of the second day of the NCAA Tournament, as well as the announcement of the winning new nickname for Gilbert Arenas … We’re out like Georgetown in the next round … Smack / Mar 19, 2010 / 3:33 am Breaking News & Rumors Like A Boss: Phil Jackson Shows Off All 13 Of His NBA Title Rings How big of a boss is Phil Jackson? A fan asked him to showcase all 13 of... Kobe Bryant Shares A Gruesome Photo Of His Surgery For some reason, Kobe Bryant wants to let us in on every little aspect o... The Grizzlies Are Starting To Look Like The 2004 Champion Pistons Zach Randolph, Dime #19 Defense wins championships. Over the years, ... We Are Looking For Interns It's that time of year again: Dime Magazine and our family sites (Di... LeBron James' 11 Worst NBA Flops When Nazr Mohammed lost his mind on Friday night and put LeBron Jame... The Exact Moment The Derrick Rose Situation Went Wrong Everyone has an opinion on this Derrick Rose situation (here's mine)... - 2011 Free Agency - 2012 Free Agency - 2013 Free Agency - Baller's Blueprint - Dime 1-on-1 NBA Tournament - Dime Training - Fantasy Doctor - Featured Gallery - Free Agency - High School - Hit List - Latest News - Mock Draft - NBA Draft - Pat's Sixers Blog - Playoff Blogger Faceoff - Style – Kicks and Gear - The Champs Sports Game Plan - The Court Grip Difference Maker of the Week - The NBA's 30 Best Go-To Players - Video Games - We Reminisce - Where Are They Now?

http://dimemag.com/2010/03/5-upsets-4-overtimes-and-a-buzzer-beater-the-greatest-basketball-day-of-the-year/

After a 3-1 week including a series win against Arkansas, Ole Miss has climbed four spots to No. 18 in this week's release of the Baseball America Top 25. Arkansas, which was No. 17 last week, dropped four spots to No. 21. All of Ole Miss' week was against the SEC. The Rebels defeated Mississippi State 6-3 in the Governor's Cup last Tuesday. Ole Miss plays at Memphis tomorrow at AutoZone Park and travels to face MSU in the SEC series this weekend.

http://djournal.com/pages/insideolemisssports_full/push?article-Rebels+Rise%20&id=18330206&instance=olemiss

- Fernando Alonso - Jules Bianchi - Valtteri Bottas - Jenson Button - Max Chilton - Paul di Resta - Romain Grosjean - Esteban Gutiérrez - Lewis Hamilton - Nico Hülkenberg - Pastor Maldonado - Felipe Massa - Sergio Perez - Charles Pic - Kimi Räikkönen - Daniel Ricciardo - Nico Rosberg - Adrian Sutil - Giedo van der Garde - Jean-Éric Vergne - Sebastian Vettel - Mark Webber - Full name Jaime Alguersuari Escudero - Birth date March 23, 1990 - Birthplace Barcelona, Spain - Current age 23 years 56 days - Teams Toro Rosso |First race||Hungarian Grand Prix||Hungaroring||July 26, 2009||Race results| |Last race||Brazilian Grand Prix||Interlagos||November 27, 2011||Race results| Despite being thrown into the F1 limelight at a very young age - and midway through the 2009 season to boot - Jaime Alguersuari has defied his critics and learnt fast. The Spaniard, who's father was a successful motorcycle racer, started racing in karts at the age of eight and made his single seater debut in 2005. The following season he won the Italian Formula Renault winter series and was runner up in the main championship in 2006. He moved to the British F3 championship in 2008 with the highly regarded Carlin Motorsport team, and after a season-long battle - mostly with his team-mates - he became the youngest winner of the championship at 18 years and 203 days. The same year he was called up by Red Bull to deputise for the injured Mark Webber in the Race of Champions but was knocked out in the first round. He moved on to the World Series by Renault in 2009 and at the time of his call up to the Toro Rosso team he was eighth in the championship with one podium result to his credit. Despite his new F1 duties he decided to continue contesting the championship in order to get as much track time as possible. His debut at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he replaced the sacked Sebastien Bourdais, made him the youngest F1 driver ever at just 19 years 125 days old. He retired from five of the eight races in his debut season, but Toro Rosso kept faith in him and offered him a contract renewal for 2010. In his second season he picked up five points and fared well towards the end of the year compared to team-mate Sebastien Buemi. He improved in his third season after a slow start and was expected to retain a seat for 2012 but was the more surprising name when Toro Rosso axed both drivers at the end of 2011. Strengths and Weaknesses He has won several big championships at a young age and despite his lack of experience in F1 acquitted himself admirably his first full season. Winning the prestigious British F3 championship in 2008 - former champions include Ayrton Senna (1983), Mika Hakkinen (1990), Rubens Barrichello (1991), and Takuma Sato (2001) Faced tough criticism after he was thrown in at the deep end of F1 - with no real testing he struggled to show pace and had a huge crash at Suzuka. "I am aware that I'm facing a very tough challenge, because coming into Formula 1 is never easy, coming into Formula 1 in the middle of a season is even harder and doing so without any testing is really difficult. But already I feel that I am getting great support from the team, who have quite a reputation for looking after rookie drivers." "If you get a drive in Formula One it's because you deserve it. It's because you're good enough to drive a Formula One car. And he's been given time this year to gain experience; there's no pressure on him and hopefully he can learn step by step. Is he ready? We'll see. I'm sure he'll be fine. I wish him the best." Fernando Alonso As a teenager Alguersuari spent a year at a boarding school in Ipswich to improve his English - it was his Dad's idea to help him cope with press conferences after winning races. Unhappy Alguersuari slams F1 auction (February 16, 2013) Alguersuari 'sure' he will return to F1 next year (September 26, 2012) Pole-less champions (August 3, 2012) Pirelli hints at fifth compound in 2013 (June 12, 2012) - Pirelli signs Alguersuari and di Grassi as test drivers (March 30, 2012) July 27, 2012 © Sutton Images March 17, 2012 © Sutton Images February 21, 2012 © Sutton Images

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/driver/1257.html

South Africa national rugby union team |Union||South African Rugby Union| |Nickname(s)||Springboks, Springbokke, Boks, Bokke, Amabokoboko| |Emblem(s)||the Springbok and the Protea| |Captain(s)||Jean De Villiers| |Most caps||John Smit (111)| |Top scorer||Percy Montgomery (893)| |Most tries||Bryan Habana (47) (correct as at 25 November 2012) |South Africa 0 – 4 British Isles (30 July 1891) | South Africa 134 – 3 Uruguay (11 June 2005) | England 53 – 3 South Africa (23 November 2002) |Appearances||5/7 (First in 1995)| |Best result||Champions, 1995 & 2007| The South Africa national rugby union team (known as the Springboks) represents South Africa in rugby union. They compete in the annual Rugby Championship, along with southern-hemisphere counterparts Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. They have won this championship on three occasions in sixteen years. They are currently ranked second in the world by the International Rugby Board, and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards. Although South Africa was instrumental in the creation of the Rugby World Cup competition, the Springboks did not compete in the first two World Cups in 1987 and 1991 because of anti-apartheid sporting boycotts of South Africa. The team made its World Cup debut in 1995, when the newly democratic South Africa hosted the tournament. The Springboks then defeated the All Blacks 15–12 in the final, which is now remembered as one of the greatest moments in South Africa's sporting history, and a watershed moment in the post-Apartheid nation-building process. South Africa regained their title as champions 12 years later, when they defeated England 15–6 in the 2007 final. As a result of the 2007 World Cup tournament the Springboks were promoted to first place in the IRB World Rankings, a position they held until July the following year when New Zealand regained the top spot. The Springboks play in green and gold jerseys, and their emblems are the Springbok and the Protea. The side has been playing international rugby since 1891, when a British Isles side toured the nation, playing South Africa in their first Test on 30 July. South Africa was coached by Jake White, who led the Boks to the 2007 World Cup title, announcing his resignation effectively from the end of 2007. His replacement's (Peter de Villiers) contract expired in 2011, following a 11–9 defeat to Australia in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final, who then stated he would not be signing a new deal. The previous captain was John Smit, who before he retired in 2011 played hooker for most of his career, although he has also been a prop, mainly in 2008 and 2009. Due to Smit being unavailable for the November 2010 Tests after surgery, lock Victor Matfield took Smit's place as captain for that tour. The current captain is Jean de Villiers. Early years First internationals The first British Isles tour took place in 1891, with the trip financially underwritten by Cape Colony Prime Minister Cecil Rhodes. These were the first representative games played by South African sides, who were still learning the game. The tourists played and won a total of twenty matches, conceding only one point in the process. South Africa's first Tests were played, although South Africa did not exist as political unit until 1910. In a notable event of the tour, the British side presented the Currie Cup to Griqualand West, the province they thought produced the best performance on the tour. The British Isles' success continued on their 21 game tour of 1896. The British Isles won three out of the four Tests against South Africa. South Africa's play improved markedly from 1891. Their forwards were particularly impressive, and their first Test win in the final game was a pointer to the future. For the first time South Africa had worn myrtle green shirts, which their captain, Barry Heatlie, borrowed from his Old Diocesans club. Rugby was given a huge boost by the early Lions tours, which created great interest in the South African press. Rugby was so popular that in 1902 there was a temporary ceasefire in the Second Boer War so that a game could be played between British and Boer forces. The game had spread among the Afrikaner population through POW games during the Boer War, and afterwards Stellenbosch University became a training ground for future players and administrators. In 1903 the British Isles lost a series for the first time in South Africa, drawing the opening two Tests before losing the last 8–0. In all, the tourists won just 11 of their 22 tour games. By contrast, South Africa would not lose another series—home or away—until 1956. Paul Roos was the captain of the first South African team to tour the British Isles and France. The team was largely dominated by players from Western Province, and took place over 1906–07. The team played 29 matches; including Tests against all four Home Nations. England managed a draw, but Scotland was the only one of the Home unions to gain a victory. During this tour the nickname Springboks was first used. There is often confusion as to the springbok symbol being worn before the name was invented, but this may be down to the fact the tour manager, J.C. Carden, spoke of having no 'uniforms or blazers' with the icon, though he did not appear to mean the jerseys. It was reported in the Daily Mail on 20 September 1906, seven days before the first match, that 'The team's colours will be myrtle green with gold collar... and will have embroidered in mouse-coloured silk on the left breast a Springbok'. Carden later stated: |“||...No uniforms or blazers had been provided... That night I spoke to Roos and Carolin and pointed out that the witty London Press would invent some funny name for us if we did not invent one ourselves. We thereupon agreed to call ourselves Springboks and to tell Pressmen that we desired to be so named. I remember this distinctly, for Paul (Roos) reminded us that "Springbokken" was the correct plural. However, the Daily Mail, after our first practice, called us the Springboks and the name stuck. I at once ordered the dark green, gold-edged blazers...||”| Newspaper reporters were to call the team "De Springbokken", and later The Daily Mail printed an article referring to the "Springboks". The team thereafter wore blazers with a springbok on the left breast pocket. Historically the term 'Springbok' was applied to any team or individual representing South Africa in international competition regardless of sporting discipline. This tradition was abandoned with the advent of South Africa's new democratic government in 1994. The trip helped heal wounds after the Boer War and instilled a sense of national pride among South Africans. The South Africans crossed the channel to play an unofficial match against a 'France' team drawn from the two Parisian clubs: Stade Français and Racing Club de France. The official French team were in England at the time. The Springboks won 55–6 and scored 13 tries in the process. The 1910 British Isles tour of South Africa was the first to include representatives from all four Home unions. The team performed moderately against the non-test parties, claiming victories in just over half their matches. The tourists won just one of their three Tests. Inter war By the first World War New Zealand and South Africa had established themselves as rugby's two greatest powers. A New Zealand Army match tour of South Africa in 1919 paved the way for a Springbok tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1921. The tour was billed as "The World Championship of Rugby". The All Blacks won the first Test 13–5, which included a try by All Blacks winger Jack Steel who had sprinted 50 metres with the ball trapped between his right hand and back to score. The Springboks recovered to win the second Test 9–5 thanks to a Gerhard Morkel drop-goal. The final Test was drawn 0–0 after being played in terrible conditions—resulting in a series draw. The 1924 British and Irish Lions team to South Africa struggled with injuries and won only nine of 21 games. They lost all four Tests to the Springboks, but despite the results, the tour produced some attractive rugby. This was the first side to pick up the name Lions, apparently picked up from the Lions embroidered on their ties. The All Blacks first toured South Africa in 1928, and again the Test series finished level. Despite playing most of the second half with only 14 men, with a dominant scrum and fly-half Bennie Osler, the Springboks won the first Test 17–0 to inflict the All Blacks' heaviest defeat since 1893. The All Blacks rebounded to win the second Test 7–6. After a Springbok win in the third Test, the Springboks needed to win the fourth to secure a series victory. The New Zealanders bought back Mark Nicholls for his only Test of the series, and their captain Maurice Brownlie told the team a week before the Test that "Under no circumstances whatever is anyone of you so much as to touch a rugby ball until we play the Springboks in the last test." Their tactics were successful and the All Blacks won 13–5 to draw the series. Despite winning South Africa's second Grand Slam, the Springbok tourists of 1931–32 were an unloved team. They had a jumbo pack and a kicking fly-half in captain Bennie Osler. Their tactics of kicking for territory earned them criticism both in South Africa and abroad. It was successful however, the team winning against England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as defeating all their Welsh opponents for the first time. In 1937 South Africa toured New Zealand and Australia and broke the deadlock with a series win in New Zealand. Their 2–1 series win prompted them to be called "the best team to ever leave New Zealand". Despite the All Blacks winning the first Test, the Springboks' won in the third Test 17–6 and scored five tries to none. The All Blacks' loss was considered a humiliation in New Zealand. The British Isles toured South Africa again in 1938, winning more than half of their normal matches. The Springboks easily claimed the first two tests. But the tourists recorded a surprise win in the third Test, the first Lions win in South Africa since 1910. Post-war era Danie Craven was appointed coach in 1949, and started his coaching career with a bang. The Springboks won ten matches in a row, including a 4–0 whitewash of New Zealand on their 1949 tour to South Africa. Prop Okey Geffin helped kick the Springboks to victory—they won all four Tests despite the All Blacks scoring more tries in three of them. The 1951–52 team that toured Europe was considered amongst the finest Springbok sides to tour. The team won the Grand Slam as well as defeating France. Hennie Muller captained the side after original captain Basil Kenyon suffered a serious eye injury. The South African highlight of the tour was a 44–0 defeat of Scotland. The defeat of Scotland included nine tries, and was a record at the time. The team finished with only one loss, to London Counties, from 31 matches. In 1954, Australia toured South Africa for the second time and although they lost the series they were given a standing ovation after defeating South Africa 18–14 in a thrilling 2nd Test at Newlands. Wallaby Captain John Solomon was chaired off the field by two South African players. This was the first Springbok defeat for 15 years. During their 1955 tour to South Africa, the Lions won 19 and drew one from the 25 fixtures. The four-test series ended in a draw. In 1956 the All Blacks won its first series over the Springboks, in what Chris Hewett called "in the most bitterly fought series in history." Surprise selection Don Clarke from Waikato—nicknamed the Boot—kicked the decisive penalties in the final Tests. South Africa had defeated France 25–3 at Colombes Stadium in 1952, and when France toured South Africa in 1958 they were not expected to compete. Georges Duthen described the mood of the French players before their first Test in 1958: "They were going into battle. A Battle for France. And they hadn't a hope..." France exceeded expectations and drew 3–3 with after a drop goal to French scrum-half Pierre Danos and unconverted try to South Africa's Butch Lochner. The French then secured a Test series victory in South Africa with their 9–5 victory in front of 90,000 spectators in Johannesburg. The French feared the South African forwards, especially their scrum, and focused much of their training before the series on improving the "South African" style of their forwards. The decisive moment of the match was French forward Jean Barthe's tackle on Jan Prinsloo near the French try-line prevented a certain try. The momentum then swung to France who scored drop-goals—one each to Pierre Lacaze and Roger Martine—to secure the historic victory. Even before the apartheid laws were passed after 1948, sporting teams going to South Africa had felt it necessary to exclude non-white players. New Zealand rugby teams in particular had done this, and the exclusion of George Nepia and Jimmy Mill from the 1928 All Blacks tour, and the dropping of Ranji Wilson from the New Zealand Army team nine years before that, had attracted little comment at the time. However, in 1960 international criticism of apartheid grew in the wake of the The Wind of Change speech and the Sharpeville massacre. From this point onward, the Springboks were increasingly the target of international controversy and protest. The All Blacks toured in 1960, despite a campaign based on the slogan of "No Maoris, No Tour", and a 150,000 signature petition opposing it. The Springboks avenged their 1956 series defeat by winning the Test series 2–1 with a Test drawn. The first match was won 13–0 by the Springboks with two tries to Hennie van Zyl. New Zealand journalist Noel Holmes said after the match "I hang my head in shame for having suggested that your forwards might be slow, even unfit." The All Blacks won the second Test 11–3 which they did so with a dominant forward pack and the tactical kicking of Don Clarke. The players selected for the third and fourth Tests formed the core of Springboks side for the next three seasons. The third Test was drawn 11–11 after a last minute sideline conversion from All Black Don Clarke. The deciding Test was won 8–3 by the Springboks with the decisive try scored by Martin Pelser. Later that same year the Springboks themselves toured, and led by Avril Malan they defeated all four Home unions for their fourth Grand Slam. On a four-month, 34 game sweep through Europe they played a ruthless, forward-oriented game in which intimidation was a key part, and opposition players suffered a string of controversial injuries. However, they lost their final game 6–0 against the Barbarians in Cardiff, beaten when perhaps the Barbarians' pack played an uncharacteristically pragmatic game. In 1962 the British Isles, won 16 of their 25 games on their tour to South Africa, but did not do so well in the Tests—losing all three. In 1963 the touring Wallabies beat the Springboks in consecutive Tests, the first team to do so since the 1896 British team. Wales toured South Africa and played several games and one Test in 1964—their first overseas tour. They lost the Test against South Africa in Durban 24–3, their biggest defeat in 40 years. At the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) annual general meeting that year, the outgoing WRU President D. Ewart Davies declared that "it was evident from the experience of the South African Tour that a much more positive attitude to the game was required in Wales... Players must be prepared to learn, and indeed re-learn, to the absolute point of mastery, the basic principles of Rugby Union football." South Africa had a disastrous year in 1965, losing on tour to Ireland, Scotland, Australia (twice) and New Zealand (three times) while winning just once against New Zealand. The planned 1967 tour by the All Blacks was cancelled by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union after the South African government refused to allow Maori players. In 1968 the Lions toured and won 15 of their 16 provincial matches, but lost three Tests and drew one. Next year the 1969 Springbok tour to Britain and Ireland found a new spirit and confidence had developed in Home nations rugby, and the tourists lost two of their seven games in Wales—against Newport and a composite side from Monmouthshire. Wales nearly claimed their first win against the Springboks as the game ended 6–6. The Springboks lost the Test matches against England and Scotland, drawing the one against Ireland. Throughout the tour however, large anti-apartheid demonstrations were a feature, and many matches had to be played behind barbed wire fences. In 1970 the All Blacks toured South Africa once again—after the 1967 stand-off, the South African government now agreed to treat Maoris in the team, and Maori spectators, as 'honorary whites'. The Springboks won the test series 3–1. The Springbok tour of Australia in 1971 began with matches in Perth, then Adelaide and Melbourne. The Springboks won all three Tests, scoring 18–6, 14–6, and 19–11. As in Britain three years before however, massive anti-apartheid demonstrations greeted the team, and they had to be transported by the Royal Australian Air Force after the trade unions refused to service planes or trains transporting them. Although a tour of New Zealand had been planned for 1973, it was blocked by New Zealand Prime Minister Norman Kirk on the grounds of public safety. The Lions team that toured South Africa in 1974 led by Willie John McBride was unbeaten over 22 games, and triumphed 3–0 (with one drawn) in the Test series. A key feature was the Lions' infamous '99 call'. Lions management had decided that the Springboks dominated their opponents with physical aggression, so decided "to get their retaliation in first". At the call of '99' each Lions player would attack their nearest rival player. The idea was that a South African referee would be unlikely to send off all of the Lions. At the "battle of Boet Erasmus Stadium"—one of the most violent matches in rugby history—JPR Williams famously ran over half of the pitch and launched himself at 'Moaner' van Heerden after such a call. The 1976 All Blacks tour of South Africa went ahead, and the Springboks won by three Tests to one, but coming shortly after the Soweto riots the tour attracted international condemnation and 28 countries boycotted the 1976 Summer Olympics in protest, and the next year, in 1977, the Commonwealth signed the Gleneagles Agreement, which discouraged any sporting contact with South Africa. In response to the growing pressure the segregated South African rugby unions merged in 1977. Four years later Errol Tobias would became the first non-white South African to represent his country when he took the field against Ireland. A planned 1979 Springbok tour of France was stopped by the French government, who announced that it was inappropriate for South African teams to tour France. The Lions toured South Africa in 1980. The team completed a flawless non-Test record, winning 14 out of 14 non-Test matches on the tour. But they lost the first three Tests before winning the last one. The 1981 tour of New Zealand went ahead in defiance of the Gleneagles Agreement. South Africa lost the series 2–1, but the tour and the massive civil disruption in New Zealand had ramifications far beyond rugby. South Africa sought to counteract its sporting isolation by inviting the South American Jaguars to tour. The team contained mainly Argentinian players, whose national team had struggled to attract strong international opposition. Eight matches were played between the two teams in the early 1980s—all awarded Test status. In 1985, a planned All Black tour of South Africa was stopped by the New Zealand High Court. A rebel tour took place the next year by a team known as the Cavaliers. The team was not sanctioned by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, yet consisted of all but two of the original squad that had been selected. For some of the tests, the team was advertised, inside South Africa as the All Blacks whilst at the others they were advertised as the New Zealand Cavaliers. The Springboks won the series 3–1. In 1989, a World XV sanctioned by the International Rugby Board went on a mini-tour of South Africa. All traditional rugby nations bar New Zealand supplied players to the team with ten Welshmen, eight Frenchmen, six Australians, four Englishmen, one Scot and one Irishman. From 1990 to 1991 the legal apparatus of apartheid was abolished, and the Springboks were readmitted to international rugby in 1992. They struggled to return to their pre-isolation standards, and in their first games after readmission the Springboks were defeated 27–24 by New Zealand on 15 August 1992 and also suffered a 26–3 loss to Australia the following month. Ian McIntosh was sacked as national coach following a series defeat to the All Blacks in New Zealand in mid-1994. In October of that year, Kitch Christie accepted an offer to take over from McIntosh. South Africa was selected to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup, and there was a remarkable surge of support for the Springboks among the white and black communities in the lead-up to the tournament. This was the first major event to be held in what Archbishop Desmond Tutu had dubbed "the Rainbow Nation." South Africans of all colours got behind the slogan coined by Edward Griffiths, then CEO of the rugby federation: "one team, one country". Wearing a Springbok shirt, Nelson Mandela presented the trophy to captain Francois Pienaar, a white Afrikaner. The gesture was widely seen as a major step towards the reconciliation of white and black South Africans. Mandela's enthusiasm and support for the Springboks is portrayed in the 2009 film Invictus. SARFU President Louis Luyt caused controversy at the post-match dinner by declaring that the Springboks would have won the previous two World Cups if they had been allowed to compete. The day after the World Cup victory, the Xhosa word for Springbok, Amabokoboko! appeared as the headline of The Sowetan's sports page. A series of crises followed in 1995 through 1997 as it became clear that South African rugby was an unreformed element of the new Rainbow Nation. The team was also struck by tragedy, as Christie, who had led them to victory in all 14 Tests he coached, was forced to resign in 1996 after battling leukaemia for more than a decade. An on-field slump saw South African sides struggle in the new Super 12 and Tri-Nations competitions. Under new coach John Hart and the captaincy of Sean Fitzpatrick, the All Blacks won a Test series in South Africa for the first time in 1996. Fitzpatrick even rated the series win higher than the 1987 World Cup victory in which he had participated. The 1997 Lions completed their South African tour with only two losses in total, winning the Test series two games to one. Coach Andre Markgraaff was fired in 1997 over a racial comment he made. Despite a successful career as a player, Markgraaff's replacement Carel du Plessis led the team to successive defeats in the British and Irish Lions 1997 tour and the 1997 Tri Nations Series. He was replaced later in 1997 by Nick Mallett, who went on to coach the unbeaten 1997 South Africa rugby union tour of Britain and France in late 1997. In 1998 Mallett and new captain Gary Teichmann tied the then-existing record of the 1965–69 All Blacks for longest Test winning streak, winning 17 consecutive Tests, including the 1998 Tri-Nations. In the same year, South Africa mourned as Christie's illness claimed his life. The Springboks entered the 1999 Rugby World Cup competition with little hope. Reverting to a kicking game and forward strength, they showed they were still a force to be reckoned with, losing to eventual champions Australia in a tense semi-final at Twickenham. New millennium At Twickenham in November 2002 England defeated South Africa 53–3, which was their worst ever loss, after Springbok Jannes Labuschagne was red-carded after 23 minutes and the Boks played three quarters of the match one man short. An increasingly frustrated South African side began physically targeting England players during the match, with footage showing captain Corné Krige as a leader. In the 2002 and 2003 seasons, the Springboks also lost by record margins to France, Scotland and New Zealand. They defeated Argentina by only one point, and were eliminated from the 2003 World Cup in the quarter final round – their worst ever showing in a World Cup record of two gold and one bronze from five appearances. During a pre-World Cup training camp, there was a highly publicised dispute between Geo Cronjé (an Afrikaner) and Quinton Davids (a coloured). Both were dropped from the team, and Cronjé was called before a tribunal to answer charges that his actions in the dispute were racially motivated. Cronjé was eventually cleared. Later, the Boks were sent to a military-style boot camp in the South African bush called Kamp Staaldraad (literal English translation "Camp Steel-wire", idiomatically "Camp Barbed Wire"). After the World Cup, then- coach Rudolph Straeuli was under fire, not only because of the team's poor results, but because of his role in organising Kamp Staaldraad. He eventually resigned, and in February 2004 Jake White was named as new national coach. The Springboks then swept Ireland in a two-Test series and defeated Wales during their opponents' June 2004 tours of the Southern Hemisphere. Next came a win in the most closely contested Tri Nations in history—their only Tri Nations trophy since 1998. In November 2004, the Springboks went on a Grand Slam tour of the Home Nations. They were decisively defeated by England, and lost controversially to Ireland. They then won a hard-fought match against Wales, and prevailed comfortably against Scotland. The Springbok resurgence was honoured with a sweep of the major International Rugby Board awards. The Boks were named Team of the Year, White Coach of the Year, and flanker Schalk Burger Player of the Year. In 2005 the Springboks defeated an embarrassed Uruguay by a world record margin. Zimbabwean-born new cap, Tonderai Chavanga, scored a record six tries in the match, surpassing Stefan Terblanche's previous record of five. The side finished second in the Tri-Nations that year, losing their final match to New Zealand. The springboks thought they had the match before Keven Mealamu scored the match winning try for the All Blacks in the 27–31 loss. The year ended positively with close victories away from home against Argentina, among others. With several new players aboard, the 2006 Springboks defeated Scotland twice in South Africa, before a loss in a closely contested match to France ended their long undefeated home record. A very bad start to the 2006 Tri Nations Series saw them lose 49–0 to the Wallabies. The Springboks put together better games in the following two matches, losing in the final minutes in the second test against Australia. Answering the call from many South African supporters to play a more expansive style of rugby, coach Jake White fielded a far more adventurous team. They broke South Africa's five game losing streak by beating the All Blacks 21–20 at Royal Bafokeng Stadium—the first time a Test match had been played at this rural venue near Rustenburg. The All Blacks' defeat to the South Africans was their only loss of the year. The highlight of South Africa's tour to Europe was the 24–15 win over England at Twickenham, after a loss to Ireland and one to England the previous week. A South Africa XV also played a World XV on this tour at the Walkers Stadium in Leicester. In July 2006, Springbok coach Jake White told the press he had been unable to pick some white players for his squad "because of transformation"—a reference to the ANC government’s policies attempting to redress the racial imbalances in national sport. Rugby World Cup 2007 Grouped in Pool A at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, they opened their campaign in Paris with a 59–7 victory over Samoa. Next up was England at the Stade de France, where the Springboks triumphed 36–-0. The third pool game against Tonga in Lens was more competitive and they narrowly won 30–25. The final pool game against the USA in Montpellier produced a 64–15 win. Having won all their pool games, they advanced to the quarter finals to defeat Fiji 37–20 before accounting for Argentina 37–13 in the semi-finals. They prevailed 15–6 over England to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for a second time on 20 October 2007. Some members of the English media claimed that the match was controversial because they felt that an England try was disallowed by the Australian fourth official. The Springboks won the match joining Australia as the only other national team to have won the trophy twice. After the World Cup 2008 was a mixed year for the Springboks. Going into the year as world champions, they were under pressure to perform. In January 2008, history was made when Peter de Villiers was appointed as the first non-white coach of the Springboks. De Villiers's first squad included ten of colour and managed two victories against Wales (43–17 and 37–21) and one against Italy (26–0) in Incoming Tours. They had an ultimately disappointing Tri Nations ending up last with only two wins. They did manage a historic triumph in Dunedin, a city in which they had never tasted victory in over 100 years. The Springboks did enough to beat Wales and Scotland before thrashing England on the end of year tour . This was good preparation for the upcoming British and Irish Lions Tour. 2009: A full trophy cabinet and a disappointing tour The 2009 season began as one of the more successful in the post-apartheid history of South African rugby. The Boks' 2009 international campaign began with a closely fought 2–1 series win over the Lions. They followed it up with a convincing win in the Tri Nations, sweeping the All Blacks and losing only to the Wallabies in Brisbane. In the process, they added the Freedom Cup (against New Zealand) and the Mandela Challenge Plate (against Australia) to their trophy cabinet. However, the Boks' busy year finally took its toll when they toured Europe in the November Test window. They lost their top spot in the IRB rankings with a loss to France, while a midweek side lost two non-Tests to Leicester Tigers and Saracens. The first-string Boks returned to defeat Italy, but were beaten by Ireland to close out the year. On 6 November 2010, the Springboks had the honour of being the first Test team to play Ireland at their new home of Aviva Stadium. Because of the historic significance of this match, the Boks had agreed to wear their change strip to allow Ireland to wear their regular green. (Normally, the home team changes in case of a colour clash.) The match was the opener of their first attempted Grand Slam tour since 2004, with the Ireland match followed by encounters with Wales, Scotland and England. The Boks followed the tour up with a match against the Barbarians. The Boks began their 2010 Test campaign on 5 June, defeating Wales 34–31 at Kings Park Stadium, Durban. Controversy arose prior to the game as Bath-based Butch James was withdrawn from the team at the last minute due to the refusal of Premier Rugby, which runs England's Premiership, to grant James permission on the grounds that the match fell outside the IRB-recognised June Test window. The victory over Wales was achieved without some of the regular Springbok stalwarts such as Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Pierre Spies, Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen. Afer defeating Wales, the Springboks headed back to Cape Town to play against France on 12 June for their second international in 2010, which they won 42–17. The Springbok victory over the French was their first since 2005. Victor Matfield believes the victory will give the Springboks a psychological advantage over the French as they may meet in the knock out stages of the Rugby World Cup 2011. The crushing victory over the French was achieved through five tries with Pierre Spies, Guthro Steenkamp, and Francois Louw each scoring one try and Gio Aplon, the 75 kg wing, scoring two tries. Their final preparations for the 2010 Tri-Nations tournament includes two internationals against Italy. In the first test a lacklustre Springbok team beat Italy by 29–13. The Springboks acquitted themselves much better in the second test crushing the Azzuri 55–11. The Boks were widely fancied to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park in Auckland in the first Tri-Nations test of 2010. The Boks had only previously won twice at Eden park, the last time being in 1937. However, the first test of the 2010 Tri Nations campaign turned out to be a nightmare for the Boks. They went down 32–12 and in the process conceded four tries. Since then, the Boks lost consecutive tests to again succeed both the Tri-Nations trophy and Freedom Cup to the world number one ranked All Blacks, as well as lose the Mandela Plate and second place IRB World Ranking to Australia. 2011 and the Rugby World Cup The Springboks kicked off their 2011 test season with controversy, with 21 high-profile players omitted from the away leg of the 2011 Tri Nations, leaving only captain John Smit and Morné Steyn as regular members of the starting XV amongst a largely second-string side. Media sources claimed that the Boks players were simply being rested in preparation for the upcoming World Cup, thus creating outcry that the 2011 Tri Nations was being turned into a farce by the Springboks. The Boks subsequently lost both of their away games. The home leg saw the return of the first-choice players, and the Boks went on to lose to Australia in Durban, but win 18–5 against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth. The Springboks finished the 2011 Tri Nations with just a single win. The South Africans entered the 2011 Rugby World Cup with a quiet confidence, even though they were drawn in the "Pool of Death" against Wales, Samoa, Fiji and Namibia. Despite a very close opening encounter against Wales, which was won 17–16, the Springboks went on to top their group, registering convincing wins against Fiji and Namibia before winning another close match against Samoa 13–5. The Springboks then went on to face Australia in a highly controversial quarter-final match, ultimately losing 11–9. The South African fans and pundits went on to criticise referee Bryce Lawrence for "one-sided" refereeing, claiming that Australian openside David Pocock was allowed to "reduce the breakdown to a farce". Regardless, the defending champions were knocked-out at the quarter-finals. Following the World Cup exit, several stalwarts of the 2007 World Cup-winning side and the 2011 squad went on to announce retirements or moves abroad. This included captain John Smit, influential lock pairing Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, and scrum-half Fourie du Preez. Apartheid and transformation Even before the apartheid laws were introduced to South Africa in 1948 the Springboks had been an all white team. The team became a symbol of racial division within South Africa, and following the first open elections in 1994, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) instituted a policy of transformation in South African sport. In this context transformation can be defined as "a complete alternation of the appearance or character of South African rugby", and one aim is to transform the Springboks into a team more representative of South Africa's race and class. South Africa's World Cup winning side of 1995 fielded only one non-white player (Chester Williams). This continued in the team's biggest matches of the 1999 and 2003 World Cups, and in the 2007 World Cup final the team fielded two non-white players (Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen). South African Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins considered the number of non-white players in the 2007 World Cup squad too low, and in 2008 the first non-white coach of the side was appointed. The political pressure on rugby coaches and administrators to select non-white players is strong; 16 of the 35 new Springboks appointed by former coach Jake White were non-white. ANC Minister of Parliament Butana Komphela expressed a view held by many politicians in the country when he said "Sport cannot be excluded from imperatives of empowerment and transformation." Currently, 15 of the 49 players in training for the World Cup are non-white. Controversy over the emblem Since the demise of apartheid the ruling African National Congress has wanted to replace the Springbok across all national teams, as emblem of the racially segregated sporting codes, with a neutral symbol that would represent a decisive break with a repressive past. The king protea as South Africa's national flower was chosen for this purpose, so that the national cricket team became known as the Proteas, for example. A similar change was envisioned for the national rugby squad's springbok emblem. Paul Roos's team had first introduced the Springbok in 1906, and it had promoted a measure of unity among white English and Afrikaans-speaking players after the two Anglo-Boer Wars of the late 19th century. The Springbok was regarded as representing both the exclusion of players who were not designated white under apartheid legislation and, by extension, of apartheid itself. Although the Springbok was adopted briefly by the first coloured national rugby team in 1939 and by their first black counterparts in 1950, it became exclusively associated with segregated sporting codes afterwards. South African rugby officials in particular, and the national rugby team itself, have an historical association with racism from 1906 on. The first rugby Springboks initially refused to play against a Devon side that included Jimmy Peters, the first black player to represent England. Legendary official, national coach, and Springbok scrumhalf Danie Craven had acquiesced with government officials who had demanded that Māori players be excluded from visiting All Black teams. Craven had also indicated that the Springbok was exclusively tied to the white identity of the national rugby team. As a result of political pressure the national rugby team jersey from 1992 on featured a king protea alongside the springbok. As portrayed in the film Invictus, pressure to replace the Springbok as emblem for the rugby team came to a head in 1994, just before the Rugby World Cup that would take place in South Africa. As a result of Nelson Mandela's direct interference, the ANC's executive decided not to do away with the emblem at the time, but to reappropriate it. After the national team won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, black rugby pioneer Dan Qeqe said that "The Springboks play for all of us". In March 2004 the South African Sports Commission ratified a decision that the protea be the official rugby emblem on blazers and caps, with the concession that the springbok could remain on the team jersey. And in November 2007 the ANC's special conference at Polokwane again endorsed the need for a single symbol for all sporting codes. While detractors like Qondisa Ngwenya foresaw a loss of revenue from dumping the springbok emblem, others like Cheeky Watson urged the need for an alternative, unifying symbol. South Africa play in green jerseys, white shorts and green socks. Their jersey is embroidered with the SA Rugby logo on the upper left corner and the flag of South Africa on the sleeve and traditionally has a gold collar. The strip is made by Canterbury of New Zealand and their current shirt sponsor is South African banking giant ABSA. The green jersey was first adopted when the British Isles toured South Africa in 1896. On their first tour to Great Britain and Ireland in 1906–07 the South Africa wore a green jersey with white collar, blue shorts, and blue socks. A replica shirt was worn in 2006 against Ireland in Dublin to mark the centenary of the tour. When Australia first toured South Africa in 1933, the visitors wore sky blue jerseys to avoid confusion, as at the time, both wore dark green strips. In 1953, when Australia toured again, the Springboks wore white jerseys for the test matches. In 1961 Australia changed their jersey to gold to avoid further colour clashes. The Springbok nickname and logo also dates from the 1906–7 tour of Britain. The springbok was chosen to represent the team by tour captain Paul Roos in an attempt to prevent the British press from inventing their own name. The logo was not restricted to the white team alone, the first coloured national team used the springbok in 1939 and the first black team in 1950. After the fall of apartheid in 1992 a wreath of proteas was added to the logo. When the ANC was elected in 1994 the team's name was not changed to the Proteas like that of other South African sporting teams only because of the intervention of President Nelson Mandela. The movie Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon depicts this story. In December 2008, the SARU decided to place the protea on the left side of the Boks' jersey, in line with other South African national teams, and move the springbok to the right of the jersey. The new jersey was worn for the first time during the British and Irish Lions' 2009 tour of South Africa. Home grounds The Springboks do not use a national stadium as their home, but play out of a number of venues throughout South Africa. The 60,000 seat Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg (known commercially as Coca-Cola Park) was the main venue for the 1995 World Cup, where the Springboks defeated the All Blacks in the final. Other regular venues for tests include Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld Stadium, DHL Newlands in Cape Town, Mr Price Kings Park in Durban, Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein, and the EPRU Stadium in Port Elizabeth. The Springboks played their first test match at Soccer City on 21 August 2010, a Tri Nations match against New Zealand. The first South African international took place at Port Elizabeth's St George’s Park Cricket Ground in 1891. Ellis Park was built in 1928, and in 1955 hosted a record 100,000 people in a Test between South Africa and the British and Irish Lions. The Springboks are said to have a notable advantage over touring sides when playing at high altitude on the Highveld. Games at Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, or Vodacom Park are said to present physical problems, and to influence a match in a number of other ways, such as the ball travelling further when kicked. Experts disagree on whether touring team's traditionally poor performances at altitude are more due to a state of mind rather than an actual physical challenge. |Top 25 Rankings as of 15 April 2013| |*Change from the previous week| |South Africa's Historical Rankings| |Source: IRB - Graph updated to 15 April 2013| Rugby Championship South Africa's only annual tournament is The Rugby Championship (formerly Tri-Nations) competed against Argentina, Australia, New Zealand since 1996. South Africa has won the tournament three times; in 1998 and 2004 and 2009. South Africa also participates in the Mandela Challenge Plate with Australia, and the Freedom Cup with New Zealand as part of the Rugby Championship. |Tri Nations (1996 — 2011)| |Rugby Championship (2012 — )| Updated: 7 Oct 2012 World Cup South Africa did not participate in the 1987 and 1991 World Cups because of the sporting boycott that apartheid brought against them. South Africa's introduction to the event was as hosts. They defeated defending champions Australia 27–18 in the opening match, and went on to defeat the All Blacks 15–12 after extra time in the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final, with a drop goal from 40 metres by Joel Stransky. In 1999 South Africa suffered their first World Cup loss when they were defeated 21–27 by Australia in their semi-final; they went on to defeat the All Blacks 22–18 in the third-fourth play-off match. The worst ever South African performance at a World Cup was in 2003 when they lost a pool game to England, and then were knocked out of the tournament by the All Blacks in their quarter-final. In 2007 the Springboks defeated Fiji in the quarter-finals and Argentina in the semi-finals. They then defeated England in the final 15–6 to win the tournament for a second time. In 2011 the Springboks were defeated by Australia 9–11 in the quarter-finals after winning all four their pool games. Until the 1990s South Africa were considered one of the most successful rugby nations in Test match history, with a positive win-loss ratio against every Test playing nation including their traditional rivals, New Zealand. However, for the last twenty years whilst the Springboks have managed to maintain their positive win-loss ratio, they have failed to do so against New Zealand. South Africa are currently ranked number two in the world rankings. When the ranking system was introduced in October 2003 South Africa were ranked sixth. Their ranking fluctuated until victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup briefly sent them to the top of the rankings. Since then, the top two rankings changed ultimately remaining with the All Blacks since November 2009 when the Boks lost to France on their end-of-year tour and most recently regained second position after defeating Australia in Pretoria. |British and Irish Lions||46||23||17||6||50.00%| |South American Jaguars||8||7||1||0||87.50%| See List of South Africa national rugby union players for a complete list of every player to have represented the Springboks. Current squad On 24 April 2013, the following players were awarded Springbok contracts for 2013: - Caps updated 24 November 2012 Recent Call Ups The following players have been part of the Springbok squad during 2012 but are not part of the current squad due to either injury or non-selection. Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by the International Rugby Board. Individual records South Africa's most capped player is John Smit with 111 caps, placing him joint-sixth with Philippe Sella of France on the all-time list in international rugby. Victor Matfield is the most-capped lock for any nation in rugby history, with all of his 110 appearances at that position; although Fabien Pelous of France retired with 118 caps, only 100 were as a lock. The most-capped back is Percy Montgomery, whose 102 caps made him the country's leader until first being equalled by John Smit and later surpassed by Matfield, but was regained by Smit. Montgomery also holds the South African record for Test points with 893, which at the time of his international retirement placed him sixth on the all-time list of Test point scorers (he now stands ninth). The most points Montgomery ever scored in a single international was 35 against Namibia in 2007—this is also a South African record. Fly-half Jannie de Beer holds the world record for dropped goals in a Test match (5, during the 44–21 quarter-final win over England in the 1999 Rugby World Cup) On 1 August during the 2009 Tri Nations tournament, Morné Steyn set a number of records during the second Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks. The Springboks won 31–19, with Steyn scoring all South Africa's points – 1 try, 1 conversion, 8 penalties. This gave him records for: - Most points scored by any player in a Tri Nations match, surpassing Andrew Mehrtens (All Blacks vs. Australia, 1999). - Most points ever scored by an individual in a Test against the All Blacks, passing Christophe Lamaison's 29 (France, 1999). - World record for most points scored by a player who has scored all their team's points. - South African record for penalties in a test (8) – beating the seven achieved twice by Montgomery. - Steyn also holds the Springbok record for the fastest 100 points (8 Test matches) Although statistics on the success rate of kicks at goal were not kept until the late 1980s, it is believed that Steyn also holds the record for most consecutive successful kicks at goal in Tests. He had a streak of 41 successful kicks at goal, which started during the Boks' Test against Italy on 19 June 2010 and ended on 6 November 2010 against Ireland. The world's most-capped captain is John Smit, who has captained South Africa in 82 of his 110 Tests. The world's most-capped lock pairing is that of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha, who have started together in 62 Tests. Smit also played 46 consecutive matches for South Africa, which is a record. Notable players Eleven former South African international players have been inducted into either the International Rugby Hall of Fame or the IRB Hall of Fame. Six are members of the International Rugby Hall of Fame only; two are members of the IRB Hall of Fame only, and four are members of both Halls of Fame. Barry "Fairy" Heatlie, who played in the late 19th century and into the early 20th, was one of the early greats of South African rugby. He appeared for Western Province 34 times between 1890 and 1904, with 28 of them being Currie Cup wins. He also played six Tests for South Africa against the Lions in 1891, 1896, and 1903, and also captained the side to their only two Test wins of the 1890s. Arguably his greatest legacy to South African rugby is the green jersey; he is credited with introducing the colour for South Africa's 1903 Test against the Lions at Newlands. He was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2009. Bennie Osler played 17 consecutive Tests between 1924 and 1933. Playing at fly-half, his first Test was against the touring British team in 1924. He also played in the series against the All Blacks in 1928, but most notably captained the Springboks on their Grand Slam tour of 1931–32 when they defeated all four Home Nations. His last Tests were the five played against Australia when they toured to South Africa in 1933. Osler was inducted to the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007 and the IRB Hall of Fame in 2009. Making his Test debut in Olser's Grand Slam winning team in 1931 was scrum-half Danie Craven. Craven played several positions including fly-half, scrum-half, centre and even number eight. However Craven was most famous for popularising the dive pass. As well as winning a Grand Slam with Osler's team, Craven toured with 1937 Springboks to New Zealand where they achieved their first series victory over New Zealand. His last act as player was captaining South Africa in a Test series against the Lions. Craven's involvement with the Springboks continued after his playing retirement, and he coached them to a 4–0 series win over the touring All Blacks in 1949. He was elected President of the South African Rugby Board in 1956, a position he held until the post-apartheid South African Rugby Union was formed in 1991. Craven was instrumental in the formation of the South African Rugby Union and became its first Executive President. Such was Craven's influence in South African rugby he became known as "Mr Rugby", was inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1997, and was in the second class of inductees into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2007; behind Rugby School and William Webb Ellis. The man most credited with inventing modern number 8 play was Hennie Muller, inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 2001. He played 13 Tests between 1949 and 1953, and in the process won a 4–0 series victory over the All Blacks and a Grand Slam tour of Britain and Ireland. He was nicknamed Windhond (greyhound) for his speed around the field. When writing about the 1949 series against the All Blacks, Harding and Williams wrote: "(Okey) Geffin won the series, perhaps, but Muller made it possible." Of Muller's 13 Tests, he only lost one—against Australia in 1953. Named South Africa's player of the 20th Century in 2000, Frik du Preez played 38 Tests between 1961 and 1971. Du Preez could play both flanker or lock and was one of the most dominant forwards of the 1960s, but was especially well known for his all round skills. Danie Craven said of du Preez, "To my mind he could have played any position on a rugby field with equal brilliance." He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1997 and the IRB Hall of Fame in 2009. Morne du Plessis played 22 Tests for South Africa between 1971 and 1980. His debut was at Number 8 in South Africa's series win over Australia in 1971. He went on to captain South Africa and became part of the only father-son pair to captain South Africa—his father had captained South Africa in 1949. He led South Africa to a 3–1 series win over the All Blacks in 1976 and a series win over the British and Irish Lions in 1980 by the same margin. Du Plessis would be inducted into the International Hall of Fame in 1999. International Hall of Fame inductees Naas Botha, inducted in 2005, and Danie Gerber, inducted in 2007, both had careers interrupted by South Africa's sporting isolation in the 1980s and early 1990s. Botha made his Test debut against the South American Jaguars in 1980. Playing at fly-half, Botha played 28 Tests and scored 312 Test points before his international retirement in 1992. Botha contributed significantly to the Springboks 1980 series win over the Lions, and also played for the World XV in the IRB Centenary Match at Twickenham. Gerber also made his debut in 1980, and scored 19 tries in his 24 Tests before retiring in 1992. He scored a hat-trick against England in 1984, and played alongside Botha in the World XV team in 1986. In South Africa's first Test since the fall of apartheid, against the All Blacks in 1992, he scored twice. Two players that straddled the amateur and professional eras were Francois Pienaar and Joost van der Westhuizen. Both first played for the Springboks in 1993. Pienaar was named captain in his first Test against France, and went on to captain the side to the 1995 World Cup. It was there he captained South Africa to the World Cup title, and received the trophy from Nelson Mandela who was wearing his number 6 jersey. Nelson Mandela later wrote "It was under Francois Pienaar's inspiring leadership that rugby became the pride of the entire country. Francois brought the nation together." Pienaar entered the International Hall of Fame in 2005, and was inducted into the IRB Hall in 2011 alongside all other World Cup-winning captains from the inaugural event in 1987 through 2007 (minus the previously inducted Australian John Eales). Joost van der Westhuizen also participated in the 1995 World cup victory, but went on to play in two more World Cups. Playing at scrum-half, van der Westhuizen played 89 Tests for South Africa and scored 38 tries. At the time of his retirement following the 2003 World Cup he was South Africa's leading try scorer and most capped player. He entered the International Hall of Fame two years after Pienaar, in 2007. The newest Springbok player to enter the IRB Hall is John Smit, inducted in 2011 alongside Pienaar. The captain of the 2007 World Cup winners, Smit (as noted earlier) ended his international career as the most-capped Springbok in history. The role and definition of the South Africa coach has varied significantly over the team's history. Hence a comprehensive list of coaches, or head selectors, is impossible. The following table is a list of coaches since the 1949 All Blacks tour to South Africa: |Hennie Muller||1960–1961, 1963, 1965||44%| |Boy Louw||1960–1961, 1965||67%| |Izak van Heerden||1962||75%| |Felix du Plessis||1964||100%| |Ian Kirkpatrick||1967, 1974||60%| |Johan Claassen||1964, 1970–1974||50%| |Carel du Plessis||1997||37%| |Peter de Villiers||2008–2011||62%| |Heyneke Meyer||2012–||58.33% (as at 24 November 2012)| Both World Cup-winning coaches, Christie and White, were inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011 alongside all other World Cup-winning head coaches through the 2007 edition. 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Retrieved 27 September 2007. - Ranking archives can be found at the IRB website; www.irb.com - "South Africa > Head to Head Table". rugbydata.com. Retrieved 27 August 2012. - Kenya Rugby Historical Highlights at kenyarfu.com retrieved 24 August 2009 - "Springbok contract group finalised". South African Rugby Union. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013. - "South Africa / Players & Officials / John Smit". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 4 June 2012. - Griffiths, John (31 January 2011). "Unofficial world champions, Blackrock College Lions and the world's most capped lock". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 3 March 2011. - "International Individual Records". superrugby.co.za. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2007. - Knowler, Richard (3 August 2009). "Steyn blots All Blacks' copybook". The Press. Retrieved 12 November 2011. - "Steyn expected to make his mark again – The Irish Times – Wed, Nov 25, 2009". The Irish Times. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010. - Griffiths, John (13 September 2010). "Morné Steyn's goal-kicking record, Tri-Nations clean-sweeps, Scottish captains and Shane Sullivan". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 18 October 2010. - "Boks spoil Irish homecoming". Sport24. 6 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010. - "Statsguru / Test matches / Player records (filter: as captain)". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 4 October 2011. - Springbok milestone watch Sport24, 24 August 2010 - Harmse, JJ (14 June 2010). "Boks have a lock on experience". SuperSport.com. Retrieved 26 June 2010. At the time of the article, Matfield and Botha had started together in 60 Tests. They started together in the Boks' next Test on 19 June against Italy, but not in the two teams' 26 June Test, and next started together against Ireland on 6 November 2010. - "Habana sets try record". sport24.co.za. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011. - "IRB Hall of Fame: The 2009 Induction" (PDF) (Press release). International Rugby Board. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009. - "Bennie Osler". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 30 November 2007. - "Bennie Osler". genslin.us. Retrieved 30 November 2007. - "Danie Craven". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 27 December 2007. - Harding (2000), pg 35 - "Huge IRB honour for Craven". rugbyrugby.com. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2007. - "Hennie Muller". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - Llewellyn, Dai. "Inducted: England v South Africa (20/11/04)" (PDF). rfu.com. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Frik Du-Preez – Biography". sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Frik du Preez". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Morne du Plessis". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - Morgan, Brad. "Rugby: Morne du Plessis". safrica.info. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Morne du Plessis" (PDF). sporthalloffame.co.za. Archived from the original on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Naas Botha". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Naas Botha – Biography". sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Daniel Gerber". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Danie Gerber". sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 28 December 2007. - "Francois Pienaar – Biography". sporting-heroes.net. Retrieved 29 December 2007. - "Francois Pienaar". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 29 December 2007. - "RWC legends inducted into IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011. - "Joost van der Westhuizen". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 29 December 2007. - "Joost van der Westhuizen". bbc.co.uk. 24 March 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2007. - "The poisoned chalice". Independent Online. Retrieved 28 November 2008. - "Danie Craven". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Basil Kenyon". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Hennie Muller". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Boy Louw". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Izak van Heerden". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Felix du Plessis". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Ian Kirkpatrick". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Avril Malan". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Johan Claassen". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Nelie Smith". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Cecil Moss". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "John Williams". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Ian McIntosh". genslin.us/bokke. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Rugby world mourns the great Kitch Christie". dispatch.co.za. 24 April 1998. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - "Coaching Record – Andre Markgraaff". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - June 1997&tyear=31 August 1997&teama=SAF&head=Coaching%20Record%20-%20Carel%20du%20Plessis#hrh "Coaching Record – Carel du Plessis". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - November 1997&tyear=11 November 2000&teama=SAF&head=Coaching%20Record%20-%20Nick%20Mallett#hrh "Coaching Record – Nick Mallett". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - November 2000&tyear=7 June 2002&teama=SAF&head=Coaching%20Record%20-%20Harry%20Viljoen#hrh "Coaching Record – Harry Viljoen". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - June 2002&tyear=31 December 2003&teama=SAF&head=Coaching%20Record%20-%20Rudolf%20Straeuli#hrh "Coaching Record – Rudolf Straeuli". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 24 December 2007. - June 2004&tyear=1 December 2007&teama=SAF&head=Coaching%20Record%20-%20Jake%20White#hrh "Coaching Record – Jake White". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 22 June 2009. - January 2008&teama=SAF&head=Coaching%20Record%20-%20Peter%20de%20Villiers#hrh "Coaching Record – Peter de Villiers". lassen.co.nz. Retrieved 13 June 2010. - "United Nations, India and the boycott of Apartheid sport" anc.org.za. Retrieved 6 August 2006 - "1000000 years of SA rugby contact with France" planet-rugby.com. Retrieved 6 August 2006 - The colours – 1906 – 2006[dead link] planet-rugby.com. Retrieved 14 November 2006 - 100 years of South African rugby (part one) – IRB - 100 years of South African rugby (part two) – IRB - 100 years of South African rugby (part three) – IRB Italy national football team |Laureus World Team of the Year China Olympic Team

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_rugby_union_team

Shaq earns education doctorate MIAMI -- Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is a doctor now. O'Neal received his doctoral degree in education from Barry University alongside 1,100 other students during commencement ceremonies on Saturday. The Miami Herald reports O'Neal got on one knee so the chair of Barry's organizational learning and leadership program could drape a light blue hood around O'Neal's more-than-7-foot frame. O'Neal then high-fived other graduates as he made his way back to his seat along with his manager, Cynthia Atterberry, who also received a doctorate in education. The former All-Star and MVP earned a cumulative grade-point average of 3.813 while completing 54 credit hours at Barry, mostly through online courses and video conferencing over the past four years. O'Neal's doctoral capstone project explored how CEOs and business leaders use humor in the workplace. Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press MORE NBA HEADLINES - Jackson's book trumpets Jordan over Kobe - Mayor says deal to sell Kings has been signed - Spurs KO Warriors, head to West finals - Carmelo, Knicks down Pacers to stay alive

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7895681/shaquille-oneal-receives-doctoral-degree-education

Can the Knicks win the Atlantic Division? EXPERIENCE AND STABILITY REIGN Linsanity has overshadowed plenty of positives with the Knicks this summer. They actually have a great shot at winning the Atlantic Division next season. After taking about two weeks off after the playoff loss to the the Heat, Carmelo Anthony worked with renowned pro hoops trainer Idan Ravin and lost 12 pounds. Now, he's playing with Team USA, refining his rebounding and inside game and getting physical with opposing bigs. Tyson Chandler is also gaining valuable experience as the national team's center. Since the start of June, Amare Stoudemire has been working with a conditioning coach and physical therapist on his lower back, which "feels great," according to his training manager. He's specifically working on his defense -- his biggest deficiency. One of the Knicks' biggest division rivals, the Sixers, got younger this summer, but not necessarily better. Of course, the Celtics pose the biggest threat, but Ray Allen has left, and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are getting older. The team, overall, has a lot of playoff experience and stability. With Mike Woodson, they went 18-6 to end this past season. That record indicates they can continue winning at a solid rate, especially with their offseason additions. The Atlantic Division title is in full view. A LAUNDRY LIST OF QUESTION MARKS Let's be honest: Plenty has to go right for the Knicks to even have a chance to win the Atlantic. They need Raymond Felton to revert to the form he showed in 2010, when he averaged 17.1 points and nine assists under Mike D'Antoni. They need 39-year-old Jason Kidd, a veteran of 18 NBA seasons, to hold up over 82 games. Same goes for Marcus Camby. More importantly, New York needs Amare Stoudemire to hit the training camp court healthy and remain so until the end of the year. So that means avoiding injuries, self-inflicted or otherwise. And, if Stoudemire stays healthy, both he and Carmelo Anthony must find a way to play in better harmony instead of getting in each other's way. And that's a lot to ask for. Can J.R. Smith be consistent as the starting shooting guard? Can Steve Novak be the Novakaine that everyone fell in love with this past season if Mike Woodson runs an offense dominated by isolation sets (less open looks for Novak)? There is a long list of questions facing the Knicks heading into 2012-13. All of this is not to suggest that everything will fall apart for the Knicks this year. But, when considering these question marks in comparison to the Celtics, it's hard not to see Boston as the more stable team heading into next season.

http://espn.go.com/newyork/hot/?id=8184335

Greg Schiano preaches ball security Schiano, speaking Wednesday morning at the NFL's owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., praised the running back's ability, but also put him on notice. Yasinskas: Blount Put On Notice Greg Schiano likes to say everyone is getting a fresh start with him but the new coach obviously already has formed an opinion of LeGarrette Blount. Blog "I think LeGarrette has tons of ability," Schiano said. "No one who touches the football will get touches if they don't protect the football. That is one of our core covenants -- the ball. It's so important they named the game after it. We make a big deal about it." Blount rushed for 781 yards and five touchdowns last season but fumbled five times and lost three of them in the team's disastrous 4-12 season that led to the firing of coach Raheem Morris and hiring of Schiano. Schiano on Wednesday talked about how Ray Rice turned around his program at Rutgers. He also talked about how he likes to have a "bell-cow" back. SportsNation: Blount's fumbles LeGarrette Blount is a fantastic running back, except when he loses control of the football. Can he fix his fumbling problems? • Cast your votes! "So I do believe if you have the right (running back), you just feed him. And great backs want the ball," Schiano said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Schiano was asked about Alabama running back Trent Richardson, a possibility for the Bucs with the No. 5 overall selection. Richardson fumbled just once in 614 career touches with the Crimson Tide. When asked if Richardson is a "bell-cow" back, Schiano said: "He could be. He's done it in what is arguably the toughest league in college football." ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas contributed to this report. MORE NFL HEADLINES - Source: Gronkowski may need back surgery - Jets' Goodson arrested for drugs, weapons - Report: P. Manning's money same in new deal - Seahawks DE Irvin suspended four games MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM The NFL on ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7746624/tampa-bay-buccaneers-coach-greg-schiano-legarrette-blount-fumble-sit

By Tony Grossi Extra Points … Lazarus rises: Somebody told me a long time ago never to underestimate Mike Lombardi. I never have. It’s good advice for newcomers in the Browns’ new organization to follow. Lombardi’s amazing ascension from banished, peripatetic NFL personnel assistant to NFL Network analyst to Browns vice president of player personnel culminates a cunning plan executed to perfection. Absolutely brilliantly done. It starts with Joe Banner – Lombardi’s biggest champion -- leaving the Philadelphia Eagles and joining Jimmy Haslam in running the Browns. Haslam admitted he was introduced to Lombardi “through some mutual friends several months ago,” but said that serious consideration of hiring Lombardi did not occur until 7-10 days ago. Lombardi, in fact, was singled out nationally as a GM-type favorite in Cleveland in August – the same time Banner was reported as Haslam’s running mate. The key element was Banner structuring the organization – and selling that structure to Haslam – in such a way that few personnel executives with higher qualifications than Lombardi would accept. Banner and Haslam both have said they were impressed with the other candidates for the job. But other than Ray Farmer, a former Philadelphia Eagles player and current Kansas City pro personnel director, no other interviewed candidate for the Browns’ job has been identified. There is evidence that Lombardi assisted in the Browns’ coaching search in some way, as an unofficial consultant to Banner, but all parties deny it. Yet he had associations with several candidates. Lombardi might not have a strong tie to Rob Chudzinski, but he certainly has one with offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who may have been the key to Chudzinski zooming to the top of the coaching search. At Lombardi’s introduction on Friday, Haslam praised him for being “extremely smart … having phenomenal passion … great work drive … and tremendous knowledge of football.” Haslam said Lombardi’s name was passed on by “the most respected people in the NFL business.” “Without exception every one said, ‘If you can get Mike Lombardi to be your GM, you should hire him immediately,’” Haslam reported. And yet, Lombardi was not interviewed for any of the six open GM jobs in the NFL this year except this one. In the past five years, the only interview he received was with the San Francisco 49ers two years ago. The job went to Trent Baalke, who had been with the 49ers for seven years prior. Burying the past: My criticism of this hire was rooted not only in Lombardi’s nine previous years in Cleveland in the 1980s-90s but also in his prior time in San Francisco in a lesser capacity and then in Oakland afterwards. A key person with one of his former teams said, “He was one of those phone guys. He didn’t have the talent. He was good at talking to people and working off what they tell him.” Lombardi’s record with Bill Belichick in the 1990s as a draft evaluator was unquestionably bad. But Banner praised Lombardi for their two years together in Philadelphia in 1997-98, saying, “There’s no question he’s near or at the top of quality talent evaluators.” In Oakland, where the late Al Davis ruled, Lombardi was mostly associated with one pick – offensive lineman Robert Gallery – who proved an incredible bust at No. 2 overall and wound up playing guard. With NFL Network, Lombardi bashed Tom Heckert's latest draft and categorized it as "panicked disaster." On Friday, Lombadi brushed off that criticism as "media commentary" and said, "Now it's a different set of circumstances." Lombardi’s time in Cleveland and elsewhere also was marked by incidents of undermining, backstabbing and leaking to media -- mostly the result of Lombardi’s unbridled ambition. Former Raiders coach Art Shell once accused Lombardi of speaking badly of him to others and dividing that dysfunctional organization. All of this history makes Lombardi a questionable hire at least and a tremendous gamble on the part of Banner. “I understand that I’m going out on the limb myself by hiring Mike,” Banner conceded in sidebar interviews after the introduction. “So I didn’t do this casually.” Can a leopard change its spots?: Banner and Haslam have been prepared for some time for the negative reaction of Lombardi’s hire, and much of the talk was about how Lombardi has changed over the years. “To be honest, I think he learned from some hard experiences he had with people he worked with,” Banner said. “That there are different ways to go about things that contribute to your self-awareness. I think he has grown a lot from that.” In his introduction, Lombardi volunteered that he has changed “professionally and personally” since his time here 25 years ago. “If I was the same guy that was here 20 years ago, I would say that Jimmy and Joe shouldn’t have hired me,” he said. Later, in a sit-down with a group of media, Lombardi singled out me in addressing the criticism his imminent hiring received. “I’ve done your job. Been in the media. I understand criticism. I have no problem with it,” he said. “I understand the sense of where you’re coming from. But I just ask we start clear. If I make mistakes, or you think I’m making mistakes, I have no problem with it. I’d like it not to be as personal as perhaps sometimes it is. I’m just asking for a fair and honest chance to move forward.” He elaborated on the theme of change in response to a question. “I’m going to be 54,” Lombardi said. “You get older, get more comfortable in your own skin. You end up deciding perhaps your principles are more important than your ambition. You find your way.” I agree that Lombardi deserves a clean slate as he and Banner plot the course of their team moving forward. I agree that people are capable of change. But he, Banner, Haslam and everyone else must realize that given Lombardi’s history and his circuitous route back to the Browns’ inner sanctum, he will be heavily scrutinized. Lombardi has tremendous interpersonal skills, able to recall facts and figures with an encyclopedic memory that has, frankly, mesmerized others. Those qualities have taken Lombardi far, but now his actions will determine the Browns’ future – and those of Lombardi and Banner, as well. |Tony Grossi covers the Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR, ESPN 1540 KNR2 and www.espncleveland.com. | He has covered the Browns with distinction since 1984 and is one of 46 voters for the National Football League Hall of Fame. Email your “Hey Tony” questions to email@example.com Follow Tony on Twitter @tonygrossi Return to: Grossi Stories Blog

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Wenger: We have no need for Sahin August 25, 2012 By ESPN staff • Liverpool announce Sahin deal Liverpool confirmed they had reached a deal to sign the Turkey international on a season-long loan, appearing to have beaten their Premier League rivals in the race to sign the playmaker. However, while Wenger will not be tempted to bring Wilshere back before he is ready, he believes Sahin would be surplus ...

http://espnfc.com/conversation?id=1141951

AC Milan news Allegri: Milan may miss out on UCL January 21, 2013 By Adam Digby, Italy Correspondent The 45-year-old Rossoneri coach was speaking to Sky Italia after seeing his side record a 2-1 victory over Bologna on Sunday. But they remain nine points behind third-placed Lazio and are dark horses to claim the final Champions League qualification spot. Allegri said: "Many clubs have missed out on the Champions League ...

http://espnfc.com/conversation?id=1307515

Feyenoord defeat leaders PSV February 24, 2013 Tim Matavz went close before Jeremain Lens gave PSV the lead in the 34th minute, rounding off a fluent counter-attack. But Ruben Schaken equalised after an exchange of passes with Marcelo (47) and Graziano Pelle's shot on the turn (68) earned three points for the hosts. The result saw Feyenoord close to within a point of ...

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Barton set for domestic return Marseille midfielder Joey Barton is set to make his maiden Ligue 1 appearance against Lille on Sunday, following the end of his 12-game ban. Barton, 30, arrived on loan from Queens Park Rangers in the summer carrying the suspension after clashing with Manchester City players on the final day of last season. However, the former Newcastle man has made five appearances for the French club in the Europa League with the ban not extending to European competition. And sporting director Jose Anigo believes his game time in Europe's second-tier competition means he is more than ready for a return to domestic football. "He is ready and physically well. His state of mind will help us," Anigo told Le 10 Sport. "I'm curious as to what he can do but from what we saw in the European games, he will help us. "He brings creativity to the team. It's important for us to have players like him. Especially now as we have a limited squad." Elsewhere, Mathieu Valbuena and Loic Remy, who both sat out Thursday's 1-0 defeat to Fenerbahce with injuries, are expected to be fit for the Lille clash.

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1236962/joey-barton-set-for-domestic-return-for-marseille

MILAN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Second-half strikes from Adriano and Ivan Cordoba gave holders Inter Milan a 2-0 win at Empoli in the first leg of their Italian Cup quarter-final on Tuesday. Brazilian Adriano finished off Zlatan Ibrahimovic's long ball after 71 minutes before substitute Cordoba headed home in injury time. Serie A leaders Inter, who have won the cup for the last two seasons, had the best chance of the first half when Patrick Vieira's header was nodded off the line by Empoli defender Lino Marzoratti. Inter, who thumped Messina 5-0 on aggregate in the last round, included Saudi Arabia-bound Luis Figo in a strong lineup but the game lacked vigour as the players eased their way back after the Christmas break. Sampdoria host Chievo and AS Roma entertain Parma in Wednesday's first legs while Serie B strugglers Arezzo visit AC Milan in their quarter-final first leg on Thursday. The second legs take place next Wednesday and Thursday.

http://espnfc.com/news/story?id=399291&cc=5739

Sunday, April 03, 2011 MACON, Ga. (April 2, 2011) - Following a strong performance against Kennesaw State yesterday, the ETSU men's tennis team finished the weekend with a perfect record after defeating Mercer, 6-1, Saturday afternoon in the final A-Sun regular season contest of the year. In addition, the victory earned the Bucs a share of the A-Sun regular season championship. With the victory, the Bucs move to 15-6 on the season and 9-1 in the A-Sun, while Mercer falls to 7-11 and 4-5 in the A-Sun. ETSU has now won the A-Sun regular season crown in five of the last six seasons. The Bucs finished in a tie with UNF for the top spot in the league standings. "Obviously none of the matches this year have been easy, because the conference has a lot of parity," said ETSU Director of Tennis Yaser Zaatini. "Everybody thinks they can shoot us down and they are very close to doing that. We are struggling to win at several positions and there are a lot of three set matches where two or three years ago we were able to dominate and win easily, but nowadays it's a thing of the past." The Bucs got off to a strong start in doubles play after earning victories in all three matches. Juan Ramirez (Asuncion, Paraguay) and Robin Akser (Ornskoldsvik, Sweden) picked up the first win by knocking off Fernando Armendaris and Guilherme Frias, 8-4, at the No. 3 position. ETSU clinched the doubles point at the No. 1 spot as Grega Teraz (Mojstrana, Slovenia) and Charles Bottoni (Bois Guillaume, France) defeated Peter Tauchner and Evandro Rosindo, 8-6. Sander Gille (Kuringen, Belgium) and Jesus Bandres (Caracas, Venezuela) closed out doubles play with a hard fought 9-8 win over Pierre Tafelski and David Barton at the No. 2 position. ETSU kept the momentum rolling into singles play as Bandres earned a quick 6-0, 6-3 win over Tauchner at the No. 3 position, putting the Bucs up 2-0. Just minutes later, Bottoni extended the ETSU lead as he blanked Rosindo at the No. 4 position, 6-0, 6-0. The Bucs clinched the match at the No. 1 position when Gille defeated Tafelski in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Ramirez and freshman Jorge Varon (Valencia, Venezuela) closed out singles play with tough three set victories. Ramirez defeated Armendaris, 6-7, 6-3, 10-5, while Varon edged Barton, 6-7, 6-3, 10-8. "The guys need to understand that and they need to put in the work in the future in order for us to regain our position in the conference," said Zaatini. "The guys need to just work hard and prepare for the conference tournament." The Bucs will take some time off before competing at the A-Sun Tournament in DeLand, Florida later this month. ETSU will be the No. 2 seed in the tournament due to tiebreaker rules. For more information on the ETSU men's tennis team please go to ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's tennis link. Also, be sure to follow ETSU Athletics on Facebook and Twitter. ETSU 6, Mercer 1 1. Sander Gille (ETSU) def. Pierre Tafelski (Mercer), 6-3, 6-1 2. Juan Ramirez (ETSU) def. Fernando Armendaris (Mercer), 6-7, 6-3, 10-5 3. Jesus Bandres (ETSU) def. Peter Tauchner (Mercer), 6-0, 6-3 4. Charles Bottoni (ETSU) def. Evandro Rosindo (Mercer), 6-0, 6-0 5. Guilherme Frias (Mercer) def. Roger Ordeig (ETSU), 3-6, 6-1, 10-8 6. Jorge Varon (ETSU) def. David Barton (Mercer), 6-7, 6-3, 10-8 1. Teraz and Bottoni (ETSU) def. Tauchner and Rosindo (Mercer), 8-6 2. Gille and Bandres (ETSU) def. Tafelski and Barton (Mercer), 9-8 3. Ramirez and Akser (ETSU) def. Armendaris and Frias (Mercer), 8-4 Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 1, 2) Singles (3, 4, 1, 5, 6, 2)

http://etsubucs.com/mtennis/news-print/2010-11/7697/bucs-earn-share-of-a-sun-title-defeat-mercer-6-1/

The qualification criteria for the U.S. Ski Team’s National Training Group now includes a top-three finish from NCAA Championships, signaling a change in the way the national team involves collegiate skiing in its development pipeline. After a one-year hiatus, our Skier of the Year awards are back. We start with the collegiate category, where for the first time in FasterSkier’s history of giving such prizes Americans took both of the top honors: NCAA freestyle champions Miles Havlick (University of Utah) and Joanne Reid (University of Colorado). We know, we know: it’s FAHL-IN. But still. The World Cup wrapped up with spectacular races and plenty of sun in Stockholm and Falun, with Justyna Kowalczyk and Petter Northug winning the season-long titles and Kikkan Randall taking home not only the Sprint Cup but also third place in the overall. Plus, racing on this side of the pond at Whistler and Craftsbury. Sorry, New Hampshire: the Vermont-based teams of Craftsbury, Stratton, and UVM had a lock on the podium at the Craftsbury Spring Tour after 10/15 k pursuits based on the previous two days’ results. Sophie Caldwell consolidated her lead to win by a mile, while Pat O’Brien worked some slick skis through the sunny snow to edge out Eric Packer. Recently back from Europe, Sophie Caldwell has dominated Craftsbury’s mini-tour so far, winning the 3.6 k prologue by over 30 seconds and the sprint qualifier by ten. The men’s field is tighter, after Pat O’Brien and Paddy Caldwell dueled it out in the prologue and then the sprint final came down to a drag race between SMST2 teammates Eric Packer and Skyler Davis. Cross-country action at the 2013 NCAA Championships kicked off on Thursday at the Rikert Touring Center with the men’s 10 k individual classic. Rune Ødegård helped move CU into second overall at the halfway point of the championships by winning the event in 26:00.2, five seconds ahead of University of New Mexico’s Mats Resaland. Our photos from the race. Last season Anja Gruber wasn’t on the University of Vermont’s NCAA squad, this year she’s the 5 k classic national champion. “It’s pretty unbelievable right now — I’m not sure if this actually just happened!” she said. Dartmouth’s Mary O’Connell claimed second and Marine Dusser (UAA) took third. UVM leads CU after the first two NCAA Championship events at Middlebury College. Men’s and women’s giant slalom kicked off the 2013 NCAA Championships on Wednesday at the Snow Bowl in Middlebury, Vt. The University of Vermont leads the team scores after the first of four events; nordic races begin on Thursday with a 5/10 k individual classic. Here’s a preview of who to watch as the East vs. West showdown heats up at Rikert Touring Center. Weekly Race Roundup: Golden Americans, Historic Bronze for Harvey and NoCo, Another Birkie in the Books Marit Bjørgen of Norway and Nikita Kriukov of Russia both have two gold medals to their names so far this Championships, and Dario Cologna finally got the title he’s been search for; but Americans made a splash too, in every discipline, with Sarah Hendrickson winning jumping, Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins the team sprint, and the nordic combined team bronze in the team event. Alex Harvey also made history when he took bronze in the classic sprint, the first individual World Champs medal for Canada.

http://fasterskier.com/category/racing/collegiate/

LAW Aug. 9 Update - Punk Slams The Rock John Pollock / August 9, 2011 - 4:26pm **The newest edition of Review a Raw is up online with Wai Ting and myself recapping last night’s show and going through all of your feedback (and we appreciate all the comments we are getting Monday nights). The show is available at http://www.thefightnetwork.com/data/podcasts/819/2011-08-09.mp3 and you can also get all of our shows on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/live-audio-wrestling/id334244254. **The ‘Smackdown’ television tapings take place in Sacramento, California tonight featuring Christian making an announcement and inviting Triple H. They have also announced Christian and Randy Orton will be in individual singles matches just as they did with CM Punk and John Cena on ‘Raw’. Plus the character of Sin Cara returns tonight but not the same performer for now. **TNA is in Orlando, Florida for their third straight night at the Impact Zone and will be taping the August 18th edition of ‘Impact Wrestling’. The next cycle of TNA television tapings will take place on the road in Huntsville, Alabama and should be a breath of fresh air for the show. **CM Punk appeared on Mark Madden’s radio show Monday in Pittsburgh to promote ‘SummerSlam’ and will likely get a lot of attention for his thoughts on The Rock. Punk stated that The Rock shouldn’t be taking credit for the amount of buys for WrestleMania 27 (1,058,000 buys this year worldwide, up from 885,000 the prior year) stating that Rock didn’t do anything entertaining on the show and is sick of Rock getting credit for the success of the show. The criticism is not a very valid one as the people purchasing the show obviously purchased the show without any knowledge of what would occur on the show and the content of the show isn’t dictating the buys for a show. It was a letdown of a WrestleMania in my opinion but there was significant buzz heading into the show (and to say The Rock was not responsible for that is just not correct in my view and Rock was a giant reason why ‘Mania was up this year, taking Rock out of this year’s show there was nothing marquee on this show that would have made this the most successful wrestling show in history from a revenue stand point – which it did with The Rock’s inclusion). Punk also said that The Rock’s promos are corny and old and he is not saying this to disrespect The Rock but hopes that it gives him motivation to step it up when he returns and that one day hopes a young kid in the business will criticize Punk for being old and stale. Punk also spoke about a pending feud with Triple H and that they cannot make the same mistakes they did 10-years ago and must focus on the future of the business because he is concerned about the future and whether there will be a business in 30-years. He said he would loved to have dragged out his return to television, he got tons of outside offers but the bottom line was that had a pay-per-view to sell. **Despite being released on Friday Melina travelled to all of the WWE ‘Raw’ house shows on the weekend with boyfriend John Morrison. However on Monday night Melina was not allowed in the arena by WWE officials and Melina posted that on Twitter. The company also took a shot at Melina with the promo by Beth Phoenix to Eve Torres saying ‘no more splits’. **I was amazed at the lack of a card for ‘SummerSlam’ coming out of ‘Raw’ last night as have four matches and one match that will draw on this show. This the definition of a one match show on Sunday and in 2011 you need all hands on deck for a WWE pay-per-view to draw and I really feel this show is going to under perform buy wise. The closing angle was tremendous Monday night but will it be enough for people to spend that amount on one match? There was an incredible excitement for ‘Money in the Bank’ and that show only managed 135,000 domestic buys (approximately), in this case you do have the ‘SummerSlam’ name but you don’t have the lineup that suggests anyone is going to spend $55 for one match. **They announced on ‘Raw’ Monday night that Rey Mysterio would take on the winner of the CM Punk Vs John Cena match next Monday from San Diego, California. This could all end up with an angle so the match doesn’t occur as Mysterio’s knee is in bad shape right now and he could be out for some time once he receives the results of his MRI. Mysterio has quietly had an amazing run this year since coming back to ‘Raw’ and has been the MVP of that show on a consistent basis and will definitely be a blow to lose him right now when the depth is so thin. **TNA has signed Long Island based wrestler Tony Nese to a contract. Nese came in prior to the ‘Destination X’ event to work a three-way and got good reviews. He was originally trained by Mikey Whipwreck. **Gail Kim’s profile has not been removed from WWE.com as they are not letting her out of her contract until it expires in a few months. This is the reason there was no announcement regarding Kim on Friday by the WWE when all the other releases were announced. Kim officially quit last Monday and explained her comments on Twitter. It would seem like an easy decision to bring Kim back to TNA and help the Knockout’s division, which has never recovered from he loss of Kim and Awesome Kong, who put the division on the map and became ratings draws for the company when ‘Impact’ expanded to two-hours in late 2007. Melina is an interesting one because she does have a name and has been on WWE television since 2005 but I think it’s a real problem when you tune into ‘Impact’ as a new fan and you see all these faces that were cast offs from the WWE and it starts to define the TNA product. Paul Heyman always had the philosophy of taking name stars from the past with the sole purpose of transferring their star power to his own talent and create his own stars and it is a different philosophy in TNA where they feel the show needs names people are familiar with (showing little faith in their own ability to create stars) but as we have seen there is just about nobody TNA can realistically acquire that is going to make a difference, it all comes to presentation of these stars and the context in which the people see them in. **For those that missed it, here is my full 18-minute chat with John Morrison when he was in Toronto promoting ‘SummerSlam’: **Jay Lethal has signed a contract with Ring of Honor. **Hulk Hogan received some publicity on Tuesday appearing on BBC Radio 5 and discussing the current riots going on and that perhaps these rioters need to be leg dropped. He also compared the struggles going on in London to when he body slammed Andre the Giant in 1987. It’s Hogan everyone, you just have to enjoy this man. **PETA is launching a new campaign and will feature Brooke Hogan posing nude for the campaign. **Chris Jericho made his WWE debut on this date in 1999 at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. It is still remembered as one of the greatest debuts in company history where he was instantly positioned in a top spot by interrupting The Rock’s segment and got the elaborate countdown each week leading to his debut. As Jericho described in his book he ran into tons of issues later that year where he the company lost faith in him, was chewed out by Vince McMahon (and had his political adversaries within the company) but rebounded to become one of the top stars the company has ever had. In a funny note that same night on ‘Monday Nitro’ they returned Hulk Hogan to the red and yellow (the first time they did it since turning him in 1996) and Jericho’s quarter did better than anything on Nitro, which was in a tailspin at this point in mid-1999 during the Kevin Nash era of WCW. DOWNLOAD THE AUG. 8TH REVIEW A RAW (John Pollock and Wai Ting review the go-home edition of 'Raw' heading into 'SummerSlam') DOWNLOAD THE AUG. 7TH EDITION OF THE LAW (Dan Lovranski and John Pollock recap ‘Hardcore Justice’, fmr WWE Diva Melina, Dave Meltzer and more) DOWNLOAD THE AUG 7TH EDITION OF REVIEW A WAI (John Pollock and Wai Ting review the 1989 ‘SummerSlam’ event) DOWNLOAD THE DAMIAN ABRAHAM INTERVIEW (John Pollock and Wai Ting chat with Damian Abraham of the band Fucked Up) JOIN THE LAW’S NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE JOIN THE NEW REVIEW A WAI FACEBOOK FAN PAGE John Pollock can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org and http://www.twitter.com/lawradio

http://fightnetwork.com/news/12010:law-aug.-9-update-punk-slams-the-rock/

Michael Floyd Is In Football For The Long Haul Michael Floyd is living the football dream – especially after being a first-round draft pick by the Arizona Cardinals, Mike Max reports (1:52). Posted Jul 2 2012 More: NFL video HBO Real Sports: Holley Mangold Holley Mangold won a spot on the U.S. Olympic weightlifting team after hoisting 320 pounds in the clean-and-jerk event. Cheering her on is brother Nick Mangold, center for the New York Jets. Posted Jul 3 2012 Rams' rookie class, cheerleaders head to Joplin to help rebuilding efforts ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - The St. Louis Rams rookie class joined cheerleaders and staff in traveling to Joplin on Friday to help rebuilding efforts after las… Posted Jun 21 2012

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/111172/8?week=9

Pubcaster and resident Manchester United fan Michael Coxon blogs about the surprisingly vast selection of Anti-Player of the Year candidates at Old Trafford. Seven points clear in the Premier League. A Champions League Semi-Final in which we are favourites. A Dimitar Berbatov away from the FA Cup Final. The Community Shield (the most important of course, who could forget Hernandez’s…erm…”header”). And a disgrace of a performance at Upton Park in the bleak mid-winter in the League Cup. That list pretty much sums up United’s season, and not just literally. It’s been a season of great success in the League despite looking a shadow of the great teams of ’94, ’99 or ’08. It’s been a season of defensive frugality and efficient progression in the Champions League. But it’s also been a season of luck and underwhelming performances at times, so the Football Pubcast “Anti Player Of The Year” awards provides a great platform to highlight that. For every Nani, there has been a Obertan. For every Hernandez, a Bebe. For every Vidic, an Evans. And for every Paul Scholes first half of the season, there has been a Paul Scholes second half of the season. So without further adieu, here are the men who have under-whelmed at times when more has been required. Jonny Evans: Where better to start than the man deemed good enough to allow Gerard Pique to go back to Barcelona? To be fair to Jonny Evans he excelled in his loan spells at Sunderland and in his first two seasons in the United first team, at times performing more consistently than Vidic and Ferdinand. But this year has been his “annus crappus”. Ever since Chris Smalling joined he’s looked to be lacking in confidence, and as such has dropped to fourth (or at times fifth) choice centre back. But be fair to young Jonny (and he is still young for a central defender), he has struggled with injuries and the fine form of Vidic, Smalling and (when fit) Ferdinand. However somehow he has at times fallen behind our next man in the pecking order… Wes Brown: Ahh Wesley Brown. It’s incredible to think Wes Brown has been in the United first team for 13 years now. He’s been to the World Cup with England, won numerous League titles and two European Cups. And still most people think he’s a bit shit. I’ve always been an advocate of the world’s biggest baked bean, and you only have to look at the 2007-08 season where he played more times than anybody else as United secured the League and European Cup, in the process making the right back slot his own in the best defensive line-up of the modern era and finally becoming an England regular. But as has always been the case, he’s struggled with injuries and the curse of being unglamorous. Who would you rather see in your defense, a lad from Manchester? Or a tricky young Brazilian, a Serbian brute, England’s most expensive defender and (until recently…) captain, and a loveable Frenchman with umpteen siblings and a tendency to start fights with groundsmen? After falling out with Fergie last summer I sadly expect Wesley to bite the dust and head off to Newcastle, Everton or Villa in the summer (although to be fair Tottenham could do worse). Gabriel Obertan: Ahh, now we’re getting into proper “Bellion territory” (but at least Bellion scored more than once). The sort of player who’ll join Andy Goram, Jordi Cruyff, Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and William Prunier in the most underwhelming Masters side ever. For a brief period in the autumn Gabriel Obertan looked to be fulfilling the potential that is so clearly there. He’s fast, skillful and, as shown against Bursaspor, can grab a goal or two. However most of the time he just runs into a defender and gets pushed over. He’s equally good on both wings, but I don’t mean that as a compliment, and must be a favourite to head off to Nantes or Montpellier or Toulouse in the summer. All this while Tom Cleverley has been quietly playing wonderfully for two years out on loan. Bebe: I recently read a fellow United fan say that they like to pretend that Javier Hernandez cost £13m (still a bargain), and Bebe never happened. Well sorry my friend but he did. It’s not Bebe’s fault, arriving on a wave of publicity and controversy as the first “homeless” player in the Premier League, he’s really had to deal with a lot in his short United career. I still think he could come good, and some amazing goals in the reserves back that up. However most of the times he’s been plunged into the first team he’s looked lost. A laughable performance replacing Owen Hargreaves against Wolves is probably the most notable but there are many, and again a similar player in Danny Welbeck has been at Sunderland earning England call-ups and ripping Chelsea to pieces. The Worst of the Rest: Michael Owen is telling everyone who’ll listen on Twitter that he’s sure he’ll score a vital goal in the title run-in, and while I’m inclined to believe him a season of injuries and falling to, at times, 6th choice striker doesn’t bode well for his contract being renewed. Michael Carrick on the other hand has been given a new contract, and would probably have featured on the above list until the past month where he’s looked something like his former self. Likewise Wayne Rooney, who ensured he’ll never truly be regarded as a United legend with his off-pitch behaviour but saved his reputation with top class showings post-January. Gary Neville, as you may or may not know, is a favourite of mine. Unfortunately the Neviller showed in his fleeting appearances this season that he’s off the pace but was wise enough (unlike many) to retire. Another man who should heed G-Nev’s actions is Paul Scholes. He showed player of the year form in the opening months of the season before a series of indiscplined and off-the-pace showings highlight that maybe he should retire on a (relative) high, after all we can’t all be Ryan “Energizer” Giggs. After those names you have the likes of Anderson, who did his usual “look great for a month, then get injured or fall out with Fergie and disappear”. With Scholes on the way out he really needs to step up next year. Federico Macheda looked average and arrogant first half of the season before heading off on loan to Sampdoria and looking average and arrogant, what we wouldn’t give for another Aston Villa moment in this title run-in. And finally, a brief note on Owen Hargreaves. I’m not sure 5 minutes against Wolves can count as dreadful (especially given the performance Bebe put in replacing him), but despite all our wishes it’s looking highly unlikely that the man who drove United to Champions League glory with some imperious midfield displays and would have saved England from 4 years of Gareth Barry will ever recover. My, what a black picture I’ve painted. Anyone would think we’ve had a season of board-room strife, changing managers, our top striker leaving and Joe Cole being crap. I must doff my cap to the likes of Nani, Vidic, Smalling, Berbatov, Valencia (when fit), the Da Silvas, van der Sar, Sir Ryan Giggs and, of course, that boy Chicharito. It’s been a strange year for United, one that looks likely to end in top honours but little respect from their peers. But a time a when traditionally a lot of back-slapping goes on (see the PFA Player of the “First Six Months Of The Season” Award), it’s always good to look back, criticise and be a bit miserable. I mean, is there anything more Northern than that? Agree? Disagree? Let us know on Twitter @FootballPubcast and @michaelcoxon or nominate your own clubs Anti Player of the Year, and be sure to include the hashtag #antiPOTY

http://footballpubcast.clubfans.co.uk/mentions/michaelcoxon/

Free keeper league has an opening. Must act quickly! We have a spot that just opened up in our league, which has been running for nearly 20 years now. The league is head to head games against each other person, based on real NHL results each week, with a regular season, then 3 rounds of playoffs after that. Each season you keep 5 players from last year, then draft 15 new ones. You need to have certain numbers of forwards, defence, and goalies. Skaters get 2 points for a goal, 1 point for an assist. Goalies roughly get points for saves, lose points for goals allowed. What makes the league fun is that you choose which specific games you want for your players, rather than get all their points. So you'll name Mario against the Islanders on Tuesday, and so forth. This is all done in a simple fill in the blanks web form, so it's super easy to prepare each week. The web page system keeps track of all your players, the scores, the schedules, the standings, etc. We have a live draft on January 13th that takes about 3 hours. If you're interested, visit the web page at http://www.ucfhl.com/ and log in with and check it out. You can see the rosters, results and scores from last season. You can read the rules to see how scoring is counted, which you'll want to do to make sure you draft well. To confirm that you are interested, either PM me here, or log in at ucfhl.com and send a private message to the user Commish with your real name, email address, etc. The draft is tomorrow, so time is of the essence. However, we will be autodrafting, so anyone who is still interested can take over the team at any time. All spots are claimed. Turns out one replacement didn't follow through, and we still have one spot available. The Turbobags team has been drafted already, so you would have Kesler, Getzlaf, Eriksson, Semin, Marleau, Quick, E. Kane and more on your team. The time commitment on this league is very light, a couple of minutes a week at this point. Brush your teeth, update your fantasy team. http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/im...ilies/laff.gif I'd love to hear from someone soon on this. We can autorun the team, but the longer we do that the worse the team gets. Seems like this board is almost entirely people looking for owners, but no actual players are around. Anyway, the team is still available. They're currently in a playoff spot, 5th place, 2 wins -1 loss, and Marleau is leading the league in scoring. Think you can do better than random? Contact me. |All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:14 AM.| Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4 Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

http://forums.dobbersports.com/printthread.php?t=142215

First off you should at least know that I am smart enough to know that a strikeout is barely more detrimental in terms of net runs lost than a normal out. Something to the tune of -.011 runs different than a regular out. So I bring the question up for this reason. Is it conceivable that if a player like lets say Adam Dunn were to strikeout less he would be much more valuable. After two strikes for Dunn's career he has a 152/278/306/584 line. It gets even worse when you look at Dunn with 2 strikes and less than 3 balls. He has approximately (I say approximately cuz I did the math) a 135/133/264/397 line given those parameters. Dunn is very good before 2 strikes (377/495/807/1.303), and even a very good one with a full count (195/497/418/915). So what would happen if Dunn were to try to make more contact on 0-2,1-2 and 2-2 counts. I am not saying become Juan Pierre, but just widen the strike zone a little bit. Dunn makes doesnt make very good contact (71.4%), but you would think even if he were able to cut down on maybe 30% of those strike outs I think he would be okay. Dunn has struck out 1044 times in situations with 2 strikes and < 3 balls. So if we cut that down to lets say 700 times. Now if he could do that with say a 275 BABIP it would give him an extra 35 hits. Raise his BA up 20 points in doing so also raise his OPS up to a .437. Not a lot, but thats only a 30% decrease in Ks. Cut it in half and his OPS is up to around 500. Or a 25% increase from where it was. Dunn sucks in those situations (most players do), but if he became a little more aggressive only in those situations it could pay off a little for him. The more I got into this the more I realized it probably isn't worth it, but we haven't had much discussion in here so I thought I might as well leave it up. So do you think a batter should maybe change their ways and become a little more aggressive with 2 strikes and less than 3 balls. Or should they just stay the same no matter what?

http://forums.prosportsdaily.com/showthread.php?387225-How-important-are-strikeouts-for-a-batter&p=10291034

An incendiary mix of bitter local rivalry and two teams searching for consistency amid fan disquiet see Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur throw themselves into the bearpit of a North London derby at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Always a high-octane affair, the lunchtime Premier League clash promises goals, drama and bragging rights but the only thing concerning opposing managers Arsene Wenger and Andre Villas-Boas, however, is securing three points. For clubs with annual top-four and Champions League ambitions, neither is where they want to be after 11 games. Spurs, in their first season under former Chelsea manager Villas-Boas, are in seventh, one point and one place above Wenger's men. The two teams are already 10 and 11 points behind leaders Manchester United respectively. Arsenal blew a two-goal lead at home to Fulham last weekend, forced to settle for a 3-3 draw after Mikel Arteta's penalty was saved in the fifth minute of added time. It was the second successive game that Arsenal had failed to win from two goals to the good after surrendering the lead at Schalke 04 in the Champions League. Wenger said his fragile side needed to defend with "more drive and belief" and, according to the Daily Mail, is considering ditching his trusted 4-3-2-1 formation and playing with five defenders to tighten up Arsenal's leaky defence. Spurs have lost their last two league games at home to Wigan Athletic when they were booed off at White Hart Lane - a defeat described by Villas-Boas as their worst performance of the season - and last weekend at Manchester City. Villas-Boas has a string of injuries to contend with. Right back Kyle Walker, striker Jermain Defoe and winger Aaron Lennon are being assessed after picking up hamstring problems against City, although Spurs are hopeful they will feature. Midfielder Mousa Dembele has not played since October 7 because of a hip injury and is struggling to be fit, while Younes Kaboul, Scott Parker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto remain sidelined. Arsenal walloped their rivals 5-2 in an extraordinary clash at Emirates Stadium in February, scoring five unanswered goals after Spurs led 2-0 after 34 minutes. The season before that, it was Arsenal who led 2-0 after half an hour, only for Spurs to storm back after the break to win 3-2. Wenger and Villas-Boas, along with every other Premier League manager, will be crossing fingers and toes that players do not return injured from midweek international duty. Concerns have long been voiced about the scheduling of international friendlies and the club versus country conflict argument. "When we play this Saturday at 12.45 against Tottenham and Santi Cazorla plays [for Spain] in Panama on Wednesday, you cannot say there is no conflict of interest," Wenger told The Sun newspaper. "What is difficult to understand is why these games are not like the official games and on a Tuesday?" Across the capital, an early season relegation "six-pointer" takes place in West London at Loftus Road where winless and rock-bottom Queens Park Rangers host Southampton, just one point and one place above them. Rangers manager Mark Hughes has been rigidly backed by club owner Tony Fernandes but admitted after last weekend's defeat at Stoke that he had to deliver fast. "I have confidence in the players to turn this round, but it needs to happen next week," Welshman Hughes said in the wake of the Stoke defeat. In the title race, leaders Manchester United visit lowly Norwich City on Saturday, second-placed Manchester City host Aston Villa and Chelsea, in third, are at West Bromwich Albion. Bayern fans snap up 45,000 tickets to watch Champions League final live at Allianz Arena When Sir Alex wakes up on Monday morning without team to manage, he will not be putting his feet up Paris Saint-Germain midfielder announces he will be retiring at the end of the current season Record goal-scorer signs a one-year contract extension with Europa League winners Chelsea Ten years on, the legends speak to FFT Your questions answered by an A to Z of legends He's here, he's there, he's... The cost of Premier League away travel Nike CR7 IX for you FourFourTwo is brought to you by Haymarket Consumer Media & FourFourTwo is part of Haymarket Sport | International Licensing | © Haymarket Media Group 2010

http://fourfourtwo.com/news/england/113491/default.aspx

Czech Republic will be without captain Tomas Rosicky for this weekend's Euro 2012 warm-up match against Israel due to a calf problem, Czech media reported on Wednesday. The Arsenal midfielder will resume training next week and could play in the June 2 friendly versus Hungary, national team manager Vladimir Smicer told news website iDNES.cz. "Maybe he will be ready for the match against Hungary but we want the bruise on the calf muscle to be healed completely so he is entirely fit for the tournament," Smicer was quoted as The Czechs are counting on Rosicky, once dubbed "Little Mozart" because of his ability to orchestrate the midfield, to lead them at next month's finals in Poland and Ukraine. Rosicky, 31, has scored 20 goals in 85 appearances for hios Czech Republic are in Group A alongside co-hosts Poland, Russia and Greece. Bayern fans snap up 45,000 tickets to watch Champions League final live at Allianz Arena When Sir Alex wakes up on Monday morning without team to manage, he will not be putting his feet up Paris Saint-Germain midfielder announces he will be retiring at the end of the current season Record goal-scorer signs a one-year contract extension with Europa League winners Chelsea Ten years on, the legends speak to FFT Your questions answered by an A to Z of legends He's here, he's there, he's... The cost of Premier League away travel Nike CR7 IX for you FourFourTwo is brought to you by Haymarket Consumer Media & FourFourTwo is part of Haymarket Sport | International Licensing | © Haymarket Media Group 2010

http://fourfourtwo.com/news/euro2012/102034/default.aspx

By Thomas Gerbasi LAS VEGAS, December 5 – Roy Nelson came into the Octagon at The Pearl at The Palms Saturday night to the strains of Weird Al Yankovic’s “I’m Fat,” but behind his physique and self-effacing humor lies a real fighter, and ‘Big Country’ proved it with a devastating first round knockout of previously unbeaten Brendan Schaub that earned Nelson The Ultimate Fighter season ten title. “I’m feeling pretty good, a little tired,” smiled the 6-0, 263 pound Nelson, a former heavyweight champion of the now defunct IFL organization who ended his reality show run with a UFC contract. And surprisingly, he didn’t do it with the ground game that led him to victory in his three fights on the Spike TV show; he did it with a standup attack that caught the former Golden Gloves champion by surprise. Schaub’s striking was working beautifully in the opening stages of the fight as he drove Nelson back against the fence. Nelson shook off the shots, got off a wide hook and then was able to get Schaub to the canvas, where he quickly took his trademark side control position. Surprisingly, Schaub found his way free and resumed his striking attack, but the Colorado fighter’s defense was porous, and that was a sign of things to come, as Nelson took Schaub’s punches and kept moving forward, eventually landing with a flush right hand to the temple that sent Schaub down hard to the canvas. A follow up shot finished things off, with referee Herb Dean calling the bout off at the 3:45 mark. “I’m ready to step in with whatever heavyweights we have,” said Nelson. With the win, Nelson improves to 15-4; Schaub falls to 5-1.

http://fr.ufc.com/news/Big-Country-Delivers-with-First-Round-KO-in-TUF10-Finale

Titan Men in 5th Place Feb. 14, 2011 St. George, UT - Dakota Duerr shot a one-under par 71 and Cal State Fullerton is only six strokes off the pace after Monday's first round of the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Invitational Men's Golf Tournament hosted by Southern Utah. The Titans totaled 291 (3 over par) strokes over the first round and are in fifth place behind Dixie State (285), Utah Valley State (286), College of Charleston (288) and Utah State (290). There are 12 teams in the field. Corey Gard shot an even par 72 for the Titans, who also got a 72 from Nick Ellis and 76s from Mark Anguiano and Scott Rubzin. Mason Casper of Utah Valley State and Benjamin Schilleman of Utah State are the individual leaders at 67. The final 18 holes will be played Tuesday beginning at 9 a.m. MST.

http://fullertontitans.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/021511aac.html

|Hometown:||Virginia Beach, Va.| |High School:||Frank W. Cox| 2011: One-year letterwinner that will look for an increased role in the midfield. 2010: Lettered in her debut campaign … appeared in 13 games off the bench, registering one goal … first collegiate goal came in a 4-3 loss to Sewanee (10/16). High School: Earned four letters in field hockey, three in swimming and two in softball at Frank W. Cox … helped lead the field hockey team to three-consecutive district, regional and state championships … also helped lead the swim team to three district championships and a pair of regional crowns. Personal: Undeclared major.

http://generalssports.com/sports/fh/2011-12/Bios/hensleigh%20alex%20v8m9

Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans. Posts published by Andrew Das Chelsea beat Manchester United on an exquisite goal by Demba Ba to complete the F.A. Cup semifinal lineup. The Red Bulls got their first win of the season Saturday, and Landon Donovan got his first minutes for the Galaxy. Landon Donovan, speaking with reporters Thursday for the first time since ending his self-imposed sabbatical from soccer, talked about a return to the game, to the national team and about the reactions of others to his difficult “mental place.” Rating the performance of U.S. players in Tuesday’s night’s World Cup qualifying match at Mexico. The United States and Mexico play a World Cup qualifier at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on March 26. Jermaine Jones returned home to Germany to nurse a foot injury that will keep him out of Tuesday night’s World Cup qualifier against Mexico. Maurice Edu is one candidate to replace him, but where? His choices limited by injuries, Coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced a remade lineup for Friday night’s World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica at Commerce City, Colo. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann is projecting calm as the United States prepares to face Costa Rica in an important World Cup qualifier on Friday. But how about you? United States Coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced his roster for the Americans’ next two World Cup qualifiers, against Costa Rica and Mexico. Jurgen Klinsmann will name his roster for the United States national team’s next two qualifiers on Monday morning. But who will be going? Did it or didn’t it? That was the question after D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid swatted a ball off his line to preserve a 0-0 tie against the Red Bulls. The Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona and the German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund avoided each other when the matchups were drawn for the Champions League quarterfinals on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland. Power rankings of the teams left in the Champions League before Friday’s draw in Switzerland. The new pope, Francis, is a soccer fan and a supporter of the Argentine club San Lorenzo. The best nuggets from Jurgen Klinsmann’s Q and A with fans on Twitter on Monday afternoon.

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/author/andrew-das/page/2/

Women's soccer adds six to roster April 23, 2009 Misenheimer, NC – Head women’s soccer coach Elijah Denton announces six student-athletes have committed to Pfeiffer University to begin competing in the fall semester. Two forwards, three midfielders and one defender have agreed to play for Pfeiffer. Kaylie Lawing, a defender from Weston, FL, played on the Cypress Bay High School’s three year varsity soccer district champion team. She played on Utah’s ODP team in 2002 and plays for the Plantation Eagles club team. Lawing also played on her school’s four year varsity flag football district champion team. She is a member of the Health Science Students of America, is an aide to Cypress Bay’s director of athletics, and will graduate with over 500 service hours. Lindsay McQuade, a midfielder from Uxbridge, MA, is a two-time Southern Worcester County League All-Star, a two-time central Massachusetts All-Star, and a two-time Worcester Telegram and Gazette Divisional Super Team member. She was a member of the 2008 All-State team, the 2008 District Select Massachusetts State Champion team, and the 2008 Central Massachusetts High School District Champion team. McQuade plays for the Fuller Hamlets in the Massachusetts MAPLE league and the Blackwatch Alliance in the Super-Y league. She is a member of the Uxbridge High School Student Council and the Superintendant’s Advisory Council. McQuade also participated in baseball, tennis, and softball at Uxbridge. Lexi Makris, a midfielder from Fredericksburg, VA, was the recipient of the Coaching Award for coaching a developmental soccer team. She earned the Scholar-Athlete award at Riverbend High School. She lettered in soccer as well as volleyball. Makris is a member of the National Honor Society, Latin Honor Society, Latin Club, Young Life, FFA, and National Art Honor Society. She plays for the FASA Impact club team. Sam Brown, a forward from Baltimore, MD, is a member of the Long Reach High School girls varsity soccer team. She holds the all-time school record for most goals scored. Brown plays for the Freestate Sharks club team. Nikki Powell, a midfielder from Monroe, NC, was a 2009 captain on the Piedmont High School soccer team. She was All-Conference South Piedmont in 2007 and 2008. She is a Very Special Arts volunteer and AWANA leader. Powell is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Medical Education Student Society, Health Occupations Students of America, and Interact Club. She also lettered in basketball. Powell plays for the Mecklenburg Union Futbol Club.

http://gofalconsports.com/article.asp?articleID=1150&mo=2&yr=2013

UCCS Picked Ninth in Preseason Poll A year ago, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's basketball team overcame a dismal 0-7 start, rallying to finish with a 10-9 record in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and qualifying for the conference playoffs for only the third time in school history. Coming into the 2009-10 season, the Mountain Lions lost only two players to graduation from that team and added a strong recruiting class. All that should be reason for optimism. But not according to the RMAC coaches who will be playing against UCCS this season. The Mountain Lions were picked to finish fifth in the RMAC's Eastern Division and ninth overall by the RMAC preseason coaches' poll. No UCCS player was selected for the RMAC's preseason all-conference team. The coaches ranked conference teams from 1-13, omitting their own team. The points were then added to determine the predicted finish with the lowest point total being the top pick. New Mexico Highlands, coming off a tremendous 20-8 season and returning three preseason all-conference selections (Roman Andrade, Chris Dunn and Rashard Peterson) was the top pick by RMAC coaches with 22 points. Metro State was tabbed to win the East Division and take second overall with 27 points. Those two division leaders were followed by Fort Lewis (42), Mesa State (50), Colorado Christian (61), Nebraska-Kearney (78), Colorado State-Pueblo (86) and Colorado School of Mines (88). UCCS led the teams on the outside of the eight-team playoff field with 124 points, followed closely by Regis (125), Western State (132), Western New Mexico (135), Chadron State (148) and Adams State (160). UCCS coach Russ Caton, who has guided the Mountain Lions to the playoffs in two of his three seasons at the school, returns a strong core. Guards Ben Feilmeier, Jordan McClung and Scott Sublousky averaged 9.6, 8.9 and 8.5 points respectively. Forward Cole Smith was named third-team All-RMAC East Division despite playing much of the season with a painful leg injury. Forward Chris Fernandez averaged 7.1 points per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field, including 39.5 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore center Tommy Klausner was a force as a freshman, averaging 14.4 rebounds per 40 minutes, a total a full two rebounds better than anybody else in the RMAC. Defensive-minded swingman Alex Snyder, a senior, also returns along with former quarterback Luke Hristou and promising Rob Howe and Levi Harris. To that group, Caton added two transfers, Brent Jones and Eric Gardzina, plus a pair of freshmen, Adam Link and Damar Hill, both of whom could see significant playing time immediately. The Mountain Lions will play exhibition games against two Division I teams, Weber State and Idaho, on Monday and Tuesday before opening the season at home against Colorado College on Nov. 20. UCCS Players/Staff Featured |Additional News Stories| |December 18, 2010||UCCS Men Say Goodbye to Lions' Den by Setting Records in Win Over CSU-Pueblo||COLORADO SPRINGS - Cole Smith grabbed 14 of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs' 51 rebounds as the Mountain Lions said goodbye to the Lions' Den with a 96-88 win over the Colorado State-Pueblo Thunderwolves Friday evening.| |May 5, 2010||Mountain Lions add JUCO guard||University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's basketball coach Russ Caton continued to add talent to his team with Wednesday's announcement of the signing of guard Chase Richards to a national letter of intent.| |May 3, 2010||Caton adds two freshmen to recruiting class||University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's basketball coach Russ Caton announced Monday the signing of two Colorado freshmen to national letters of intent. Joining the Mountain Lions for the 2010-11 season will be Jordan Carter of Chatfield High School and Dalton Patten from Chaparral High School.| |April 29, 2010||Frick joins Mountain Lions for 2010-11||University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's basketball coach Russ Caton announced Thursday the signing of forward Garrett Frick to a national letter of intent.| |March 3, 2010||Three Mountain Lions named third-team All-RMAC East Division||Chris Fernandez, Alex Snyder and Ben Feilmeier were all named third-team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference East Division for men's basketball, the conference announced Wednesday.|

http://gomountainlions.com/basketball/news/2009-10/09mbb1030.html

Scholar All-America Honors Awarded to Swimming & Diving Team Statesboro, Ga. - The College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced its Scholar All-America teams for the fall 2011 semester and the Georgia Southern Swimming and Diving team has been honored for the eighth-straight semester. The CSCAA ranks all NCAA Division I teams twice a year, once each academic term, and teams with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher are named to the distinguished CSCAA Scholar All-America list. With the current Scholar All-America program in place since 2008, the Eagles have been included each and every semester. The Georgia Southern swimmers and divers posted an impressive 3.29 grade point average and finished ahead of Vanderbilt, Duke, and Harvard. Seven members of the Swimming and Diving team earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average last semester and six made the Dean's List with GPAs above 3.5. "I am very proud of our women for earning CSCAA Scholar-All Academic team this past fall semester," said Georgia Southern Head Coach Nate Kellogg. "It is a testament to what our team values and the high level of focus and commitment our swimmers and divers have as student-athletes." News and information for Eagle fans can be found at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com. Short updates are also available on Facebook at facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics or Google+. - Category: Swimming & Diving - Published on Wednesday, 29 February 2012 18:05

http://gseagles.com/sports/womens/swimming/headlines/7461-scholar-all-america-honors-awarded-to-swimming--diving-team

Coyle High School held the first commencement ceremonies in Logan County Tuesday night. The ceremony sent 21 seniors on to the next step in their lives. Aaliyah Taplin gave the valedictorian address, while the salutatorian for this year’s seniors was Fidel Simpson. Taplin plans to continue her studies at the University of Oklahoma in engineering and Simpson is going to University of central Oklahoma for nursing next year. Dalton Anderson welcomed all of the parents and Tony Aska Jr. made the senior presentation to the crowd. Whitney Payne and Kayla Warden were in charge of the rose present... full story

http://guthrienewsleader.net/pages/home/push?class=prev_page&per_page=1&x_page=17&rel=prev

Firefighter On Workers’ Comp Caught Fighting in MMA League Raphael Davis, a Los Angeles city firefighter, allegedly filed claims for worker’s compensation insurance between December 2008 and May 2011, citing injuries that prevented him from working at his day job. Trouble is, prosecutors say during that same period Davis was caught moonlighting as a mixed martial arts fighter and fought seven bouts under the name “The Noodle”. The 35-year-old has now been arrested on suspicion of insurance fraud. Employees wrongfully claim workers’ compensation all the time but they usually lay low in the process? Davis straight up rubbed this in the insurer’s face – MMA’s the hottest sport of the past decade, where countless bouts are bootlegged, uploaded online and covered on the many dedicated websites that have cropped up in these past few years. Davis himself fought a few bouts for MMA promoters M-1 and Bellator – hardly ‘underground’ leagues. Dude’s even got photos of his fights on his Facebook profile. He has now been hit with four felony counts of insurance fraud and a bail set at $30,000. He could serve five years in jail if convicted, which wouldn’t be the worst thing – at least he’ll get to practice escaping rear naked choke-holds.

http://guyspeed.com/raphael-davis-fireman-mma-bellator-fighter/

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – There was no attempt at downplaying it as some insignificant individual honor in the grand team scheme, no try to minimize the moment as meaningless in-season recognition halfway through the marathon. The No. 60 pick in the draft had just been named Western Conference Rookie of the Month. Everything about it was significant. Isaiah Thomas went from the last player chosen in June to making the Kings to forcing his way in the rotation to cracking the opening lineup to 19.2 points, 6.8 assists and 50.7 percent from the field the first five starts to being named the best first-year player in his conference for February. In an especially noteworthy contrast, the East winner was Kyrie Irving, the first selection. This was a big deal when Thomas learned of the announcement Thursday, primarily because of the perspective. February in the West was no typical pick by the league office. Most teams had passed on him in the draft over concerns of a 5-foot-9 player making, some looking elsewhere two or three times, and it took until the second full month of the season for Thomas to be recognized as a standout rookie. “Any award in the NBA, I’ll take it,” he said. “It’s a blessing for guys. It’s something nice. I don’t know who wouldn’t want it. It’s something that a lot of people didn’t think I could get. To myself, I felt like if I had the opportunity that I’m given right now that I could get awards like this. It was unexpected, though. I did not think I was going to get it. I wasn’t even thinking about it.” Kings coach Keith Smart, looking for a sign of blood flow in the offense, changed the starting lineup in the latest expanded role for the point guard from Washington, moving Tyreke Evans to small forward in place of John Salmons and pairing Thomas with Marcus Thornton in the backcourt. Thomas has put up big numbers ever since while providing exactly the speed Smart wanted. Thomas is the fourth King to be named Rookie of the Month, joining eventual Rookie of the Year Evans (October/November 2009, December 2009), Brian Grant (January 1995) and Lionel Simmons (December 1990, February 1991).

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2012/03/02/an-award-and-so-much-more/